


Oil on Troubled Waters

by Rejah



Series: Deep Sea [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Bottom Trafalgar D. Water Law, Deep Sea, Heart Pirates - Freeform, M/M, Threesome - M/M/M, journey to the center of the earth-ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2019-11-03 18:43:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17883227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rejah/pseuds/Rejah
Summary: After their adventures on Wa no Kuni, the Heart Pirates are sent on a dangerous voyage into the depths of the earth. While they try to find a way out, Shachi, Penguin and Law try to find a way to handle their relationship which is fair to all of them - which isn't easy with someone as inexperienced and volatile as Law.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help myself and wrote a sequel. I just love this pairing too much.  
> It would be advisable to read the first part of the series as this story revolves around some events which happened there.  
> Comments as well as constructive criticism are always welcome. I have no beta reader, so if I missed something, feel free to point it out :)
> 
> _To pour oil on troubled waters means to soothe or calm down something or someone._

The deep seas were a doubled-edged sword. Penguin couldn’t help but think that, while carefully measuring out coffee beans, a shiver prickling over his spine. The fight with Kaido had been harsh. Terrifying. In a split of a second, it could all have been over; Law’s lifeless form sprawled on the ground, blood seeping everywhere. It didn’t take much time to take a life. No effort at all.

But still, down here, nearly a kilometre beneath the surface, he felt safe despite the crushing weight of the water surrounding the outsides of the Polar Tang.

They had survived. He would say it was nothing short of a miracle, if he believed in such superstitions - although he didn't. There was a science to it, maybe a sprinkle of luck. He poured water into the coffee machine and pressed the button, watching the beans in the small plastic container get crushed.

Law still was not his old self. Maybe that was a good thing. More than anything, he seemed focused, pouring over the ancient books they had managed to pull out of the underwater city’s library just shortly before it had collapsed. For what, Penguin didn’t know. Maybe it was just a force of habit, until he would be able to steer his mind to another goal.

There was movement behind him and he turned, catching a glimpse of Shachi.

“Hey,” Shachi greeted him, strolling through the door, his hands stuffed into the deep pockets of his jumpsuit. His red hair was greasy with machine oil and Penguin remembered he had been working in the engineering room, working on the numerous damages the fight had left behind. He nodded at Shachi.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Shachi interrupted his movement to reach for the upper cupboards - probably in search of an unused mug or something - and came closer, his hands carefully reaching out to him. They were all stretched thin nowadays. Shachi molded his frame against his back. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I’m just tired,” Penguin replied. To emphasize, he leaned back against his friend, dropping the back of his head against Shachi’s shoulder.

“It’s been a long day,” Shachi agreed. Penguin could smell the grease on him. It didn’t bother him. “How about we go to our cabin and take a nice long shower? I could massage you if you’d like.”

Penguin grinned.

“I’m not that easy, Shachi. I know what you really want.”

“Damn, caught again.” Shachi grinned against his neck, then let his lips brush over the sensitive skin. Penguin tensed.

“Not while we’re alone, Shachi, you know the rules.”

Shachi sighed.

“Worth a try, I guess.” He let him go and picked up that mug, filling it with the coffee which had just run its course through the machine. “You’re gonna get that to Captain?”

“‘course I am.You know how grumpy he is without.” Penguin glanced at the amount of coffee he had made and then picked up another mug. It was dirty, so he quickly rinsed it. “But only one cup. I don’t want him to stay up the whole night.”

“You’re whipped,” Shachi commented, sipping his own coffee.

Penguin grinned, then left him in the kitchen. If he was true to himself, he’d also wanted Shachi to continue what he had been doing. Those kisses had felt really nice. And the thought of that shower-

No. He shook his head. They had made a compromise, a deal: They wouldn’t get it on with each other if Law wasn’t present. Not even a kiss. That had been his condition for agreeing to their unusual relationship. He knew Shachi wasn’t completely content with it, he had said so on day one, but it was still way too early to change it. Their relationship was still so new, interrupted by their fight on Wa No Kuni. He was still trying to catch his balance.

Arriving at Law’s quarters, he knocked. After a second, the door was opened.

Law stared at him, dark circles beneath his eyes. His eyes flitted to the coffee he was holding and he grabbed it before Penguin even had the chance to say hello. Law turned around.

“Come in,” he said when Penguin didn’t make a move to do so. “Don’t stand there like you’re an intruder.”

“I wasn’t sure if I was interrupting something,” Penguin answered, but closed the door behind himself. Law and him, alone. It was already hot in the submarine, machines working constantly to keep them alive, but he felt it even more as he indulged in staring at the shift of muscles on Law’s back as he sat down again. Penguin rolled up his sleeves. “Have you found anything new? You’ve read those books so often, you could probably recite it in your sleep.”

Law glared at him, but it didn’t hold long. Instead, he carded a hand through his hair, exhaustion seeping from his very bones.

“I just get the feeling that I’m missing something. These fishmen - did they really just wait for their death? Even if all hope failed them, there has to be something.”

Law hadn’t slept well since the last fight. Penguin assumed it was the same purposelessness that had plagued him before. His goal had been to take revenge on Doflamingo, but that was already lying behind him. Now they had fought side by side with the Straw Hats, but to what end? Of course, fighting against the oppression of the World Government was a worthy goal in itself, but was Law really the type for that?

“It’s been a long day,” he repeated Shachi’s words to him, laying his hands on Law’s shoulders. They were tense. “You can go through the books tomorrow.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Law grumbled.

“I’m not telling you.” Penguin leaned down and brushed his mouth against Law’s ear. He grinned as Law shuddered. “I’m asking you.”

Law shoved him away.

“Sit down,” he pointed at the bed, “and wait until I’m finished.”

Finished with what, Penguin thought, slightly pouting, but he did what he was told. He laid down on the bed, shucked his shoes off one by one and turned his face to the side to press it into the bedspread. It smelled like Law.

He didn’t usually spend the night at Law’s quarters. He wouldn’t do so today, either, but he wanted to spend a few hours with his Captain’s undivided attention on him. Propping himself up on his elbows, he watched Law. His back was tense, his hair unkempt. The shadows beneath his eyes weren’t darker than usual, but he had hoped that Law would’ve found some sense of peace by now.

“Is there something in particular you’re looking for?” he asked, after the silence got unbearable.

“If I knew that, I’d already have found it.”

Ah, so he didn’t know what he was searching for. This kind of unstructured approach was unusual for Law. He was high-strung, everyone could see that. Penguin wasn’t sure why.

Law slammed the book shut and Penguin flinched.

“Something wrong?” he asked. Law glared at him, then abruptly got up and stalked over to him. Penguin let the hint of a smile tip the corners of his mouth up. Law’s pupils were small, a clear indication that he was tired, but he kept his gaze fixed on his face as he crawled up on the bed and laid down next to him. Penguin slung an arm around him and pulled him close. “Did I distract you?”

“Shut up.”

Penguin knew there was a definitive way to shut Law up himself, so he wasted no time in carrying it out. He tipped Law’s chin up, letting only one second pass to let it sink in what he was about to do, and kissed him.

The effect was instant. Law was still tense, but he pressed himself closer to Penguin, eager for more contact. Penguin grinned into the kiss, then pushed forward until Law was lying flat on his back with Penguin straddling his waist. There was definitely interest, despite his tiredness.

“Let me help you out, Captain,” he murmured against his lips, his eyes meeting Law’s.

“Don’t call me that now,” Law protested, but the blush on his face said otherwise. Although maybe that was only because Penguin had shifted his weight fully on top of him.

He decided not to banter any further - as fun as it was, with Law it was always a thin trail. One misstep, and he would shove him off and the evening would be ruined. Therefore Penguin concentrated on the things he knew Law liked. He pressed down on him, harder this time, until Law was pinned to the mattress and unable to move. One of Law’s hands twitched, but other than that, he was perfectly still. Penguin laid his mouth against Law’s, just the barest hint of a touch, and caught his gaze.

Law met it, as calm as the water in the depths of the seas. Penguin pushed himself the last bit up, pressing their mouths together, a thrill running through him as he heard the sharp intake of breath escaping Law.

They hadn’t had much time for this, but Law was a quick learner.

And he knew what he wanted.

Opening his mouth, Law stuck his tongue out, a tad too desperately maybe, grasping for Penguins upper arms until Penguin pushed them back on the mattress and pinned him down. Oh, he knew how he liked it. Even though he wouldn’t admit it outloud, Law had a dirty mind. Penguin was thrilled to be the only one wiser to his secret.

Well, except for Shachi of course.

He halted. What was Shachi up to now? Was he alone in their cabin? Law growled and nipped at his lower lip, bringing him back to the present. Penguin grinned and nipped back, earning himself another gasp. He ground down on him, already feeling Law becoming hard. It was almost too easy to get him off; if you played into the things he liked, Law was surprisingly responsive. Penguin sucked on his tongue and kept eye-contact until Law looked away, a blush grazing his cheeks. He was warm all over, sweat running down his back. The air in the submarine was too stifling for such activities, but he didn’t care as long as he could transform Law into a sweaty mess just like him.

“I love you,” Penguin murmured against his lips. He had said it again and again these last few weeks. Law’s pupils dilated, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he lifted his head and kissed him on the lips, short and sweet. Penguin’s heart contracted inside his chest. Law never answered him, but still he couldn’t stop saying those things to him. There had to be something drawing Law to him - Law liked him, at least - but he wouldn’t say what. And Penguin didn’t ask.

This. This was enough, right?

Law twitched beneath him. Penguin ground down again, watching the way Law’s eyes closed, and slid his hand over his stomach. He fumbled with his belt, frustrating seconds ticking by until it suddenly opened and he could slip his hand inside. Law hissed. His eyebrows furrowed. He was hot and hard in his hand and Penguin brushed the tip of his dick with his thumb to gather some of the moisture that had accumulated there.

He couldn’t do much while still lying on top of him, so after he gave him a few good strokes that had Law shuddering, he rolled off of him. Law opened his eyes to slits, watching Penguin get out of his jumpsuit until he was naked except for the thin tank top he was always wearing. It didn’t escape his attention when Law’s eyes flitted down to his cock for a second. Penguin licked his lips and brought them closer together, grasping both of their dicks in one hand.

“Come here,” he murmured, unnecessarily, but Law complied and slung his arms around his neck.

His stomach was warm. Penguin stroked both of their cocks a few times, his thumb flitting over Law’s tip every so often, watching the way his eyes fluttered close again and the heat dusting his cheeks. His breathing became ragged and his hips jerked until Penguin held them still with one hand. The effect was instantaneous; Law pressed his face into the crook of his neck, lips pressed against Penguin’s sweaty skin to muffle the sounds coming from him. Penguin nudged him until he could kiss him again, sloppily, but neither of them did care. Law panted into his mouth. He was close.

Penguin quickened his strokes. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he couldn’t completely keep Law from thrusting into his hand, his movements getting increasingly more uncoordinated until he suddenly froze and Penguin felt something warm coat his fingers.

Penguin broke their kiss and Law released a shaky breath.

“Good?” Penguin asked, voice rough. He grinned at Law, whose eyes flitted to him as if he wanted to admonish him, but then he released the hold on his neck and brushed his fingers over Penguin’s side. Penguin arched into his touch.

Law grasped his cock. It fitted perfectly into his hand. His movements were slow, almost calculating, and he watched his reactions as if he were a test subject. Penguin didn’t mind, though. He wasn’t shy. Especially not when Law was adding that little twist at the end of each upstroke, his thumb brushing the head just like he had done to him, his strokes quickening as he gained confidence.

Penguin wanted to show him how much he liked it. He moaned and panted and arched his back to get closer to him, their stomachs brushing against each other. He didn’t care that Law was sticky with his own come, didn’t care that some of it would dribble down on the sheets and they would have to clean it. Again. Law felt so good against him. He wanted to ruin him and show him how much better he could make him feel.

With a sigh, Penguin pushed into the tunnel Law’s hand had formed, and came, most of it splattering against Law’s hand. Law made a face, but Penguin was too dazed to care.

He got up after a few minutes, but only to get a washcloth from the adjacent bathroom and get them both clean. Afterwards, he pulled Law close and pulled the sheets over both of them. Law brushed his fingers over his side, the same as he had done a few minutes before, but this time it felt more intimate. Close.

Penguin brushed his knuckles along Law’s jaw, kissing him slowly.

“In a few years,” Law murmured against his lips, “will you still follow me around?”

Penguin had to smile at that.

“Always, Captain.”

* * *

It was regrettable, but he had to go. Slowly, Penguin entangled himself from the nest of arms, legs and the comfortable bed sheets, careful not to wake his captain. He didn’t get enough sleep as it was anyway. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled his jumpsuit on. It didn’t feel particularly comfortable with the sweat of the day and only the catlick they had given themselves. He’d have to shower once he got to his own cabin.

Behind himself, Law muttered something in his sleep. Penguin watched him for a moment and felt a smile tugging at his lips. Then he got up. The movement rattled the mattress slightly and he padded to the door.

“Pen …?” Law murmured behind him. Penguin halted, then turned around, his hands held in mid air.

“Sorry,” he whispered into the dark. Law’s dark form was easily detectable from the white sheets he was lying on. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

There was a pause.

“Come back.”

Ah, shit. Penguin hesitated. It was so rare for Law to ask him to stay.

He sighed, scratched his head. Then he moved to the bed and knelt on it, the mattress dipping under his weight. He brushed a hand through Law’s hair and kissed his temple.

“Sorry,” he murmured against his warm skin. Law didn’t move. “I’ll be back in the morning. I’ll bring you coffee, alright?” Law didn’t move or answer him. Maybe he had already fallen asleep again.

Penguin locked the door behind himself and made his way to his and Shachi’s cabin.

* * *

He woke up early the next day and went to make breakfast. Shachi had already been asleep when he had entered their cabin, one of his legs sticking out from the sheets. Penguin had carefully approached him and tucked it back in, then had showered and gone into his own bed.

With a spring in his step, he filled the coffee pot to the brim, arranged a few slices of toast and bacon on a plate, and made his way to the captain’s cabin. There was not much to do at the moment except for the repairs on the Polar Tang, but those could wait an hour longer. As he knew Law, he was already awake, so it was no surprise when his knock was answered immediately.

“I brought breakfast,” he said while putting the plate on the table Law was working at.

The books were strewn around the surface, little markers sticking out of them; Law himself was taking notes on a sheet of paper. His handwriting seemed messier than usual. Law took the coffee pot out of his hand and poured himself a cup. Penguin leaned against the table and began to munch on a piece of toast. He eyed the shadows under Law’s eyes.

“How long have you been awake?” he finally asked. Law glared at him and opened his mouth, then halted. Reconsidering.

“A few hours,” he said, quickly looking at his notes again. Penguin furrowed his brows.

“More than two? Three?” He sighed and pushed off the desk. “That’s not a lot of sleep then.”

He knew he was treading into dangerous terrain. Law rarely reacted positively when he reminded him of his bad habits, but he had to try - he couldn’t just keep his mouth shut.

“I am-” Law dropped the pencil. “I am so close to the answer! It’s on the tip of my tongue! But I can’t figure it out!”

“What exactly do you want to figure out then? Come, let me see.” He bent down to read the notes. They didn’t make a lot of sense to him. Maybe Law was even more tired than he had anticipated.

“These sentences,” Law said, pointing his fingers on a passage of the opened book, “they don’t make a lot of sense to me.”

Penguin wasn’t very good in reading ancient handwriting, but he could figure it out. The passage read ‘It has been three days since the beginning of the disease. The 25th patient has passed away this morning. She was a woman, 43 years old, no children. Her husband is in mourning. There will be no burial ceremony as we don’t have the time. I fear what this curse will make out of us even if we should survive at all.’

“Why would he write that?” Law caught a strand of his hair. “It’s not relevant to the case.”

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s sad! Of course he would write about the emotional side of it.”

Law shook his head.

“Of course I’ve considered that. I’m not that cold-hearted, you know? But - it doesn’t match the rest of the text. His writing is clinical, except for that one sentence.”

Penguin huffed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.” He laid a hand on his shoulder. “You aren’t cold-hearted.”

Law rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Pen, but that’s not the point.”

“Why is it bothering you so much? The author got frustrated, that’s all. It’s no wonder he got emotional about it, just imagine your friends and family all dying-” He halted. Law had lowered his head. Fuck, he was stupid. “Sorry.”

Law reached for his coffee and took a sip. It had to be still hot, but then he proceeded to gulp it down and poured himself another cup. Penguin glanced at the toast, still untouched except for the one he was eating himself. He put the piece of toast away and knelt down next to Law, trying to get a look at his face. Law turned his head away from him. Penguin touched his arm, squeezing slightly until Law looked at him again. His lips were pressed together.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t think,” Penguin told him and then slung his arms around Law’s middle, holding him tight. After a while, he could feel Law’s arms coming around him, too.

* * *

That afternoon, Law gave the command to resurface to work further on the submarine. The air tanks had to be checked and no one wanted to risk doing that while they were still deep under water. Thankfully, the weather was clear and the crew gathered outside on the deck. A few of them opted to refresh themselves in the sea. There wasn’t even a single speck of land in sight. Neither was a ship. For them, that meant safety.

Penguin was preparing to dive beneath the submarine to look if there was any damage on the bottom. He wished he could jump into the water, too, but he was one of the few who could drive the shuttle and so Law had assigned him that task. Penguin couldn’t disappoint him. So he went back down into the submarine and to the shuttle located in the hull.

It was an easy, but important task. He only had to dive a few meters deep and the sun was shining from above, reflecting from the scales of a school of curious fish which scattered as he came too close to them. The Polar Tang threw a large shadow which crossed his face as he drove under it. He turned the lights on.

The sea was flecked with algae and other small particles, colorful specks which floated past his shuttle as he carefully steered closer to the hull. The air inside the shuttle was quickly cooling from the outside temperature, but Penguin was sweating anyway. He could only hope that he wouldn’t find any more extensive damage than what they already knew about.

Steering the shuttle closer, he could see a few scratches on the hull. They had been bombarded by several Marine’s battle ships and had to escape rather hasty. The cliffs lying beneath the surface around Wa No Kuni had been difficult to avoid. Carefully, he approached the ship to inspect the hull. He had already assumed they hadn’t escaped without any damage. There was a large dent from where a bomb had gone off without ripping a hole into the mantle. It had to be directly beneath the turbines. They’d have to inspect it from the inside, but it seemed the turbines hadn’t suffered any critical damage because otherwise they’d already have noticed it. But it was better to be safe.

Nodding to himself, he steered the shuttle upwards again. He could report to his Captain that there weren’t any major damages. They had been lucky. 

A few minutes later, Penguin grinned as he hopped out of the shuttle. Finally, he could join the others on the deck! His bones were aching from sitting in the shuttle and from working in the engineering room for the entirety of the morning and his skin was dusted in a thick layer of grime and sweat. He longed to jump into the open sea. Maybe he could persuade Bepo to a diving contest.

But before that, there was one thing left to do.

He knocked at Law’s door, bouncing back and forth. Law opened it a moment later.

“What?” he grumbled. His hair was in disarray. Penguin felt his knees go weak.

“Come outside with me!”

Law rolled his eyes and made to slam the door shut, but Penguin hurried to put a foot between between the door and the frame. Law narrowed his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“You really should come outside!” Penguin clasped his arm, pulling slightly. Not enough to actually overpowering him, but just enough to get the message across. “It’s beautiful outside and you look like you need it.” Also, the air in Law’s cabin was devastatingly stale and a glance over his shoulder showed several empty coffee mugs as well as chaos on his work desk. “Please! You’re the only one left in the ship. It would be motivating for the crew if they saw you enjoying yourself.”

Law scoffed, “Are you sure by ‘crew’ you don’t mean only yourself?”

Penguin smiled and averted his gaze, cheeks redding.

“Well, yeah, I’d be really happy, too.”

“There’s nothing I can do outside. You know I can’t swim,” Law tried to argue, but Penguin already had a plan for that.

“We could set up the pool? That way, you can soak for a while without any worry.”

Law sighed. Penguin tried to keep still while he watched Law calculate how he could get rid of him and coming up with nothing.

“Alright, fine,” Law finally said, as if he was suffering. “I’ll come with you. But I’ll take the book with me.”

“Aren’t you worried it will get wet?” Penguin asked while Law retrieved the book. Law sent him a deprecating look.

“It has been wet for centuries,” he said, brushing past him. “Come on, don’t take roots.”

Penguin sighed, but followed. At least it was half a victory with Law coming outside, albeit with his work. Maybe he would be able to distract him so he could actually enjoy himself and relax instead of working himself into the ground.

As expected, they were the last on deck. The entire crew was milling around, some of them swimming, some sunbathing, a couple of them playing cards or more silly games. Fortunately, someone had also thought to set up the pool Penguin had promised, even though Law was the only Devil’s fruit user of their crew. The corners of Law’s mouth quirked up as he stepped into the sun. Penguin grinned at him, wanting to stay by his side, but knew that he shouldn’t smother him too much. Therefore, he clapped him on the shoulder in goodbye and made a dash for the railing, stripping off while running, until he was only clad in a pair of boxers. He jumped over the railing and into the deep blue sea.

It was cold, the warm water on the surface quickly giving way to the unforgiving temperatures of the deeper seas. Penguin kicked the water to come up, blinking salt out of his eyes. As he gazed upwards, he saw Law standing above and leaning against the railing. He waved up to him.

Law didn’t wave back, but he hadn’t really expected him to. Instead, he dove again, deeper this time. The water was clear this far away from any land, no amount of leaves or other washed away debris soiling it. The swarm of fish he had seen earlier had long since been scared away from the shouting and screaming of the rest of the crew. He dove even deeper, this time beneath the Polar Tang. He could see the scratches on the hull even with his naked eye. He let his fingers graze them. Flakes of coating crumbled away and he watched them get swept away by the slight current. A few air bubbles escaped him. Time to resurface.

He broke the surface on the other side of the Polar Tang. His hair clung to his face and he slicked it back as he swam to the ladder, quickly climbing it up.

As he was back on the deck, his eyes zoomed in on Law who was sitting with his back leaned against Bepo, the ancient book opened on his lap. His eyebrows were scrunched up and he was unconsciously nibbling his lip, a bad habit Penguin had often caught him doing in the last few weeks. It was adorable.

He slid down next to him, also leaning against Bepo. The polar bear only snorted slightly in his sleep, but otherwise wasn’t perturbed. Law didn’t acknowledge him. He was too engrossed in his book. He probably knew it by heart by now, Penguin thought, as he slid closer, their legs almost touching by now.

Law was pale. Had he always been pale like that? Even the slightly fairer patches of his skin didn’t have much contrast to his natural skin color anymore. He should sleep more, but wasn't that always the case? Furthermore, Penguin got the impression that his obsession with the books wasn’t healthy. And with no Robin to help him - or to rein him back - there was no one to stop Law from working until he broke down completely.

Except. Except he was there, wasn’t he? Wasn’t it his role as his - his boyfriend?

“Goddamnit, Penguin!” Law suddenly scrambled up, holding the book away. Penguin flinched. What- “Can’t you be more careful? You’ve dripped on the pages!”

Oh, shit. He’d forgotten how wet he still was, his hair dripping practically everywhere.

“But aren’t they waterproof anyway?” Penguin got up. Law didn’t answer. He was staring at the pages, a curious expression on his face. “Captain?”

“What the hell …” Law was staring at the pages with a dumbfounded expression. Penguin abandoned his caution and stepped closer, peering over his shoulder.

The book wasn’t waterproof. That was his first thought anyway. Where he had dripped seawater on the paper, the letters were smudged and slowly disappearing. Law’s hands trembled. The book threatened to fall out of his hands and Penguin quickly grabbed them, stabilizing them both.

Because beneath the vanishing letters, there were others appearing. Numbers. Law was moving his lips silently as he read them.

Penguin whispered, his eyes growing wide, “Those are coordinates.”


	2. Chapter 2

After the discovery of the coordinates, the peaceful afternoon was gone. Law had ordered Bepo to pinpoint the coordinates on a map, which was an easy thing to do. Now they were all huddled together below deck on the bridge while Bepo was explaining.

“We’re actually not that far away,” he said, wringing his paws nervously. “But there isn’t something there. At least not according to my maps.”

Law was peering at the map laid out on the broad table as if it could somehow make something worth of note appear on it. But there wasn’t anything. Penguin was squashed between Law and Bepo, but he had a good look at the map - there was only water where Bepo had drawn a thick cross.

“The ocean is nearly ten thousand meters deep there.” Bepo laid a paw on Law’s shoulder, seemingly trying to console him. “There’s nothing there, Captain.”

He was right. Whatever this coordinates had once meant, there was no way something could be down there. It was simply too deep. No submarine could dive that far. The Polar Tang had only made it to eight thousand meters once and that had been an emergency situation. Penguin wasn’t keen on reliving the experience.

Law was biting his bottom lip. If he would apply any more pressure on it, it would surely bleed. Penguin was itching to get him to stop, but he couldn’t do so in front of the crew. Then, a determined expression crossed Law’s face.

“Correct the course, Bepo,” he said. Penguin held his breath. “We’re going to see what’s down there.”

With that, Law left the bridge and the rest of the crew to their own devices.

“Is he serious?” Bepo dared to ask. He was wringing his paws nervously.

Shachi took off his hat and scratched his head before putting it back on.

“I mean, well, what’s the worst that can happen, right? We’re possibly only wasting time, but if that gets him to ease off …”

Penguin glanced at Bepo.

“How accurate are those maps, Bepo?”

“Pretty accurate. We bought them less than a year ago. There’s not a lot change going on in the ocean; sure, sometimes there are earthquakes or volcano eruptions, but as far as I know, there shouldn’t be anything there.”

Penguin sighed.

“Alright. We’ll just be careful, right?”

They nodded at him.

Penguin spent around half an hour longer on the bridge before he went to his shift. According to Bepo, they would only take two and a half days to their destination and there wasn’t much else to do. Except for the ongoing repairs. Penguin had spent the rest of the evening making sure that everything was in working condition; he had inspected the turbines and gauged the integrity of the hull where he had seen the scratches on the outside. Fortunately, it had only been an aesthetic damage. There wasn’t any danger emanating from it as long as they’d repaint the hull so it wouldn’t rust.

After a much needed shower, Penguin met Shachi in the kitchen.

“Hey.” Shachi playfully bumped into him. “How ya doing?”

“Could be better,” Penguin grunted, grabbing a mug and pouring coffee into it. Shachi stuck his tongue out.

“Heh, the captain is rubbing off on you. And I don’t mean that in a good way. You’re all grumpy.”

“How could I not be? Law wants us to go to those coordinates - but for what?” He stared into his mug, the dark liquid sloshing inside. He gulped. “I fear he wants us to dive down there.”

“Well, he’ll see that there’s nothing to see then.” Shachi leaned against the counter next to him. “He won’t endanger the crew by diving too deep. Don’t you know him better than that?”  
Penguin didn’t answer immediately. He busied himself with slowly drinking the coffee. It was mostly cold by now and tasted bitter.

“I’m not sure. He’s - he’s obsessed with those books. He’s convinced that there’s more to them that meets the eye.”

“Well, there was some secret message only visible once the books got in contact with sea water,” Shachi pointed out. Penguin sighed.

“Who knows what’s their meaning, though? The books have been written hundreds of years ago. Maybe it’s all long since gone. Maybe we’re only chasing something which doesn’t even exist anymore.”

“Well, then we’re going to find out.” Shachi smiled at him. “We’re his crew, Pen. If Law goes crazy, he’ll have us to stop him.”

Penguin breathed a laugh.

“Yeah, sure. Don’t you think he’d cut us in half before that?”

“Look at you, talking about our captain making mincemeat outta us!” Shachi slung an arm around his shoulders. “Come on, let’s go to him and make sure he doesn’t go crazy, alright? And for god’s sake, take some food with you. You look like you’re starving.”

“Where would I be without you, Shachi?” Penguin rolled his eyes, but did as Shachi had asked him to and quickly grabbed some leftovers from lunch.

“Probably longing for someone as good-looking as me,” Shachi countered as they left the kitchen.

They hallways were mostly empty. It had been an exhausting day, but at least motivation was high among the crew after they’d had the chance to resurface. Still, Penguin was worried. Even though Shachi was right and it was no use - and he had promised Law to follow him wherever he went. He just wasn’t too sure about how far he should.

Shachi put his hand into the backpocket of Penguin’s jumpsuit.

“Hey, what if someone sees?” Penguin whispered, but didn’t try to get rid of him.

“They’re all in their beds, nice and cozy.” Shachi grinned at him. “And I hadn’t had a chance to touch ya for two days now. Don’t ya miss me too?”

“Of course I do,” Penguin said, rounding a corner. They were close to Law’s quarters. “I just don’t want to get into trouble.”

Shachi didn’t answer him. The hand stayed where it was, though.

Soon, they arrived at Law’s quarters and were let in. Unsurprisingly, Law was even more concentrated on the book than before. Penguin didn’t have the energy to deal with it now, so he just let himself fall down on Law’s bed after Shachi and he had decimated the leftovers he had brought. Now, body feeling tired and stomach full, he felt close to falling asleep. Shachi was brushing a hand through his hair and he huddled closer. Even though it was already stifling hot again in the submarine, he wanted to be close to Shachi (he had missed him, damn).

Shachi seemed to have similar thoughts as he hugged him closer until he was nearly lying on Penguin, one leg pressed between Penguin’s ones. Penguin’s hat had fallen off. There was a moment of quiet while Shachi breathed against Penguin’s neck. Then he nipped at the skin there.

Penguin yelped, not having expected that. He glanced down at Shachi, who grinned at him devilishly.

“What are you doing?” Penguin whispered, glancing at Law who was still sitting at his desk, head propped up with one hand while he poured over the books.

“Awh, aren’t ya an innocent one?” Shachi said and then kissed him, the eagerness of it pushing Penguin back on the mattress. In the next moment, Shachi was sitting on top of him. Penguin could feel all to clearly what he was up to, guessing from the hardness pressing against his leg. “All three of us are here,” Shachi continued, between kisses, and Penguin felt his resistance melt. “Or aren’t you in the mood?”

“That’s not it,” Penguin huffed, finally kissing him back. Shachi felt so good on top of him. He circled his arms around his body and settled his hands on his ass, pressing him closer. “But-”

Shachi licked his ear. “He can join us if he wants to,” he whispered into it, hot breath ghosting over his skin and eliciting goosebumps. His toes curled. Shachi slid lower, kissing his neck and then his clavicle, and Penguin glanced at Law. He was still working at his desk. He had to know what they were up to, even though he hadn’t looked up. But surely he wasn’t so concentrated that he hadn’t heard them? Did Shachi really want to get it on with Law in the same room as them?

But that was the deal, wasn’t it. If they couldn’t do it while Law was somewhere else, this was the only option left.

Didn’t stop it from being weird as hell.

Shit, what was he supposed to do? He was only half-hard, as if his dick was confused whether he should be aroused or not. It just felt wrong. Law wasn’t a voyeur, wouldn’t he feel weird? As if his privacy was invaded with them doing it on his bed?

“Shachi-” He gasped as Shachi nipped his skin, a little harder than before. He hadn’t heard him. “Shachi, please stop.”

This time, Shachi raised his head, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “What is it? Do you not want to?”

Penguin was shaking his head before he had even finished speaking. He bit his lip, face reddening, and glanced at Law. Shachi understood immediately. He hung his head so a couple of hair strands fell over his eyes.

“Pen,” he said quietly, “I missed you.”

Penguin averted his gaze.

Law was still scribbling away, ignoring them. Still, it felt like his presence was right here on the bed, keeping them from doing the things they used to do for years. He didn’t want to hurt Shachi. He grabbed Shachi’s arm and pulled him towards him, until Shachi was lying on his back. Penguin rested his head on Shachi’s chest and pulled his arm around himself. Shachi’s heart was beating out of rhythm, first slowing, then picking up speed again. It was so different from before.

From the way Penguin didn’t move any further, it was clear that all he intended to do was this. Cuddling. Holding him close. Shachi felt stiff like a board for a while, but eventually tightened the arm around him and buried his face in Penguin’s hair.

Fuck, what was he doing? His chest ached as if he had been diving for too long, his heart constricting as he struggled not to clench his fingers into the fabric of Shachi’s undershirt. This didn’t feel like an embrace.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he heard the scraping of a chair as Law got up. He stretched, joints popping, and approached the bed.

“Comfortable?” There was a smile in his voice. Penguin dared to open one eye, even though he wasn’t sure if it would be dry. Law stood above them, exhausting marring his face. “Care if I join?”

“It’s your bed,” Penguin croaked. The mattress dipped as Law kneeled on the bed, stabilizing himself with one hand on Shachi’s foot. Shachi jerked. Had he been asleep? Penguin hadn’t noticed.

Law was leaning over him, his hair falling out from his hat. Penguin turned his head to get a better look at him. No signs of craziness. Slowly, as if he was hesitating for some reason, Law leaned closer until his lips brushed Penguin’s cheek, then his mouth. Penguin closed his eyes. Law felt cold despite the heat; he wanted to warm him up. To make him blush again, make his body burn and sweat. A moan escaped him as Law stuck his tongue into his mouth, wet and curious.

Shachi began to move under him. Penguin began to slide his hand along his stomach, but then he suddenly wriggled out from beneath them, making the mattress wobble.

Breaking the kiss, Penguin asked, “What are you doing?”

Shachi was already halfway out of the bed. His feet met the floor and he bent down to pull his shoes on.

“I’m tired, so … I’m heading to bed,” he said. There was something off in the way he said it. Like he had a noose around his neck. Even Law had halted in his ministrations.

“Shachi-”

“See ya tomorrow.” With that, Shachi practically dashed out of the cabin. He hadn’t even put his shoes on completely.

“What was that?” Law asked, propping himself up on his arms as he watched the closed door. Penguin sat up, ignoring the way Law’s hand sneaked beneath his shirt.

“I think I messed up,” he said. Law scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. Penguin pushed himself to the edge of the bed and snatched his shoes, not bothering to put them on either. “Sorry, I have to go!”

Law snatched his arm.

“What’s going on, Pen?”

“I’ll explain tomorrow, okay?”

Penguin pecked him on the lips, a short and unsatisfying gesture judging by the look on Law’s face, and ran out of the door. He nearly slipped as he rounded the corner, his naked feet not finding a lot of hold on the smooth floor. Fuck, he’d messed up. Of course he had. How could he have been so stupid? He had only taken Law’s rules into consideration, carefully looking out not to break them, but had taken Shachi’s feelings completely out of the equation.

He had hurt him. Badly, if Shachi had only seen a way in running away.

Penguin ran to their cabin, as it was the most likely place his best friend would be. But what would he even say? A simple sorry?

He hadn’t time to come up with a solution as he arrived far too soon. The door to their cabin was closed. He didn’t waste any time in ripping it open, heart still beating fast and breath coming in quick bursts from his sprint. Shachi was lying on the bed, his back turned to him. He hadn’t even bothered to turn the lights on and so the room was nearly completely dark. He must have heard him - he hadn’t exactly been subtle, stomping into the room like an elephant - but he had chosen to ignore him. He really had to make it up to him.

Penguin closed the door. He contemplated taking him into his arms for a second, but decided against it. Instead, he leaned against the door and watched the way Shachi’s chest moved. It didn’t seem as if he was crying.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he started. His voice was way too loud. Or maybe it was because it was the only noise in their cabin except for the low humming of the turbines. He cleared his throat. “There’s - there’s really no excuse. I was a dick. I just - I don’t know what to do.”

Shachi didn’t answer, but he sighed deeply. Penguin had to try harder.

“I - I really wanted to make out with you.” God, that sounded so awkward. Penguin raised his hand to pull his hat lower into his face, but it wasn’t there. Damn, he must had left it in Law’s quarters. “It just didn’t feel right with Law right next to us.”

“So when’s a good time?” Shachi said. “I’m not allowed to touch you when he isn’t there and I’m not allowed to when he’s in the same goddamn room. So when’s a good time, I’d really like to know that.”

Penguin swallowed.

“I - I don’t know. What we had this one time - you know, with the three of us together, maybe that would work?”

Shachi snorted.

“So it’s always about Law, isn’t it?” He didn’t sound angry. Maybe that was the most scary part about it. Penguin didn’t want to go to him, suddenly afraid of what he would see should he turn around. “Law makes the rules. He proposes this fucking deal and just expects me to go along with it. Probably feels generous about it, too. He can do whatever he wants, he’s the captain, right?”

“Shachi, you know that’s not the way this works.”

Shachi turned around. His eyes were dry, but the expression on his face was something Penguin had never seen before, his mouth twisted into something horrible.

“Then tell me how any of this shit is supposed to work! It’s not fair, the way he’s stealing you from me and just - just feeding me breadcrumbs!” He halted, a look of shock passing over his face. His breath stuttered and he pulled his shoulders up. Quietly, he continued, “See? I don’t want to yell at ya, Pen. Please, just … leave me alone tonight. Go back to Law or somethin’.”

Penguin pushed off the door and crossed the short distance to Shachi, kneeling down in front of his bed.

“I won’t leave you alone.” Slowly, he laid a hand on Shachi’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I - I don’t know a solution. Yet. But I,” his voice broke, but he pushed through, “I love you.”

Shachi didn’t meet his eyes as he said, “Me too. Doesn’t help, though.” It felt like being punched in the gut. Penguin tried to take a breath around the lump in his throat, but it was difficult.

“What do we do?” he asked finally. Because that’s what he always did. Asking for Shachi’s advice. He was the smarter one when it came to stuff like that.

“I don’t know.” Shachi blinked up at him, just for a second. It was too dark to see much of his expression and Penguin wished he would have thought to turn the lights on just to be able to see it. How was he supposed to handle this? “Go to Law, Pen. I mean it. I - I have to think about this.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Penguin protested, his grip on the other’s shoulder becoming tighter. Shachi grabbed it and pushed it away, not too hard, but still with determination.

“It’s the best you can do right now.”

And Penguin did. He got up, his legs aching as if he had kneeled for far longer in front of the bed as he actually had, and left the room.

* * *

Two days passed. Penguin didn’t approach Shachi as he had wished, but it fucking hurt. He occupied himself with work instead, mainly in the engineering room because the work to be done there was the hardest and when evening came around, he practically passed out in his bed. Well, actually not his own bed. He’d gone back to Law that one evening, evading his questions, and had spent the night there. Law had looked confused when he’d come back the next few nights, but fortunately hadn’t bothered him with any questions. He’d also been a great distraction; and Penguin had gladly given him everything he wanted and some more.

His body was tired and aching. He had a bump on his head from where he had knocked it against one of the pipes while fastening a few loose screws on one of the main turbines. He took a shower and grabbed a quick meal from the kitchen, then made his way to the common room. Law was there and - fuck, Shachi, too. The whole crew actually. Law met his eyes as he entered the room.

“Nice of you to finally join us.” He crossed his arms while Penguin tried to inconspicuously sidle in with his mates. Had there been a call-in? Law continued, “We’ve arrived at our destination. I know that some of you are nervous because we don’t know what to expect. That is why the only approach can be utmost caution - I want everyone to go to their stations now. With their full concentration. If there is anything to find down there, we will find it. Any questions?”

No one dared to ask any. Penguin actually had a ton of questions as the crowd dissipated until only Law and him were left. He hadn’t seen Shachi leave. Lately, he had been good at vanishing without him noticing when. But Penguin would give him space. What else could he do?

“Why were you late?” Law approached him. There was a glimmer in his eye. Penguin supposed he couldn’t wait to get down there.

“Took a shower,” Penguin said.

Law took a step closer, just a tiny bit closer than was strictly appropriate. Penguin sucked in a breath and met Law’s eyes, the light of the lamp above them reflecting in the mottled gold. He wanted to kiss him, but Law wouldn’t appreciate that, not here where everyone could see them.

This whole relationship felt like a minefield.

“Come on.” Law stepped past him. “I need you on the bridge.”

* * *

The descent felt like routine at first. Penguin was on his station, close beside Law, and recalibrated the pressure tanks while they sank. Bepo was closely monitoring their voyage into the depths, announcing how far they’d come every few minutes. The descent was slow this time - they had enough time to react in the case that something went wrong. Penguin couldn’t help himself as he stared at the barometer which indicated how much pressure was weighing on the Polar Tang.

“4,000 meters,” Bepo said. It was the only noise besides the low humming of the turbines and the steady beeping of the radar.

Penguin couldn’t help but think of the crushing pressure of the water surrounding them again. In this depth, the pressure was almost 400 bar. That was like 400 kilograms pressing down on one square centimeter. If they got a leck, they wouldn’t even know it. The Polar Tang would simply implode and they would be crushed before they’d even have a chance to take a breath.

“4,200 meters.” Bepo flipped a switch. “We’re nearly halfway there.”

Wasn’t he worried, too? Bepo was one of the more nervous crew members, but also one of the most loyal. Not to say that anyone wasn’t, but Bepo was among the oldest crewmembers. When Law gave a command, he followed it. No questions asked.

“How’s the air pressure in the tanks?” Law asked. Maybe he should have said something. He wasn’t his first officer for nothing, wasn’t he? But he hadn’t and now they were on this goddamn mission without even knowing if it was worth it. The world needed them, but they had chosen to chase this- “Penguin!”

Penguin jerked his head around to his captain. Law was staring at him hard. “The tanks. How is the air pressure.”

“Um,” Penguin fumbled with the board, not being able to make any sense of the lights and numbers he saw for a second, “all within the parameters.”

“Stay concentrated. We can’t afford your daydreaming.”

This was no place for being scared. Law was right: He had to keep his concentration. When the pressure in the air tanks got too low, they wouldn’t be able to come up again. He was responsible for the crew.

“I got something on the radar,” Bepo piped up. True to his words, the radar began to beep in shorter intervals until it nearly matched with the race of Penguin’s heart beat.

“What is it?” Law came over to him. “Can you identify it?”

“I’m not sure … but it’s getting closer. Like - like it’s moving towards us.” Bepo’s eyes widened. There was a split second in which he seemed to recognize what it was that was speeding towards them and then he gasped, “It’s a vortex! We have to steer away from it, fast!”

Immediately, the crew jumped into action. Penguin stopped the release of air so that they wouldn’t sink any lower and Bepo steered the Polar Tang to the left, as much as was possible with the heavy weight of the water pressing down on them. This deep down, their maneuvrity was impaired, but the Polar Tang wasn’t the best submarine in the world for nothing. It could withstand yet another adventure.

“How close is it?” Law asked Bepo.

“I’m not getting any clear data, but I’m guessing less than a hundred meters. And it’s moving quickly!”

“Can you speed up?”

“I’m trying, but-”

A jolt rang through the Polar Tang and Penguin lost his footing. The bridge’s floor tilted, the side with the boards moving upwards. Penguin quickly grabbed something to hold on, but a few of the crew weren’t fast enough; as the submarine’s bow tilted upwards, they slid down the bridge and crashed against the opposite wall. Law had latched onto Bepo who was gripping the steering rudder and tried to bring the submarine back down.

The metal groaned, a haunting sound this deep down. Penguin held his breath.

“We’re in the vortex!” Bepo screamed, but it could barely be heard in the chaos. Penguin lost his footing and could only hold onto the board. Suddenly, everything went dark. Penguin gripped on for dear life, the control board hot underneath his hands. Was the submarine still tilted up? Where was up or down?

Someone was crying. Bepo was doing something with the headboard; his furry paw brushed Penguin’s hand.

It was too silent.

He couldn’t hear the thrum of the turbines.

They had lost all electricity.

His mouth was dry. He swallowed. “B-Bepo?” Was everyone still here? The darkness was disorienting. He wasn’t sure if he was even looking in Bepo’s direction, he couldn’t even make out his form. Was Law still clinging to him? Where was Shachi?

“We don’t have any power,” Bepo said. “I’ve tried the emergency generator, but it’s not working.”

“How do you know you hit the right button?”

“I know this board by heart and I tell you, it’s not working!” Bepo hissed, panic finally seeping into his voice.

“Everybody keep calm.” That was Law. Thank god. “Bepo, how much time do we have?” He didn’t say ‘Until air runs out’, but he didn’t have to. Everyone was painfully aware of it.

“With the current amount in the tanks? Maybe an hour, probably a bit less.”

They were doomed. Penguin tried to quell the panic rising inside him, but his insides seemed to have melted. Law continued, “We have to get it working again as fast as possible. Whoever has fallen down, move to the sides. Penguin, Shachi, you two come with me.”

With that, there was a swoosh of air and a thud. Had he let himself fall? Penguin’s stomach somersaulted, he didn’t want to let go. How far was it down? Where even was the exit?

“Penguin?”

Oh fuck. Penguin gritted his teeth.

Then he let go.

There was a moment where he was not touching anything, hanging in free-fall. Then he landed hard against the opposite wall, pain zinging through his feet, but not too much. He was glad the bridge wasn’t actually that big.

Someone touched his hand.

“Is that you, Penguin?” Law’s voice.

“Yeah.”

“I’m here, too,” said Shachi from his other side. Penguin grasped his hand.

“Crew, keep calm and try to get the generator working while we’re trying to get the electricity back manually.” Law halted, as if calculating his next words. “Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here.”

The three of them left the bridge.

Penguin couldn’t see anything. Normally, his eyes would have adjusted themselves to the darkness and picked up the tiny amount of light that was ever present. But not here. There was no natural light this deep down. Nothing. Just endless blackness. Already, he could feel his sense of time slipping away.

They were pulling him to the steep hallway. It was weird, his sense of direction all tangled up because the floor was askew and the usually easy to walk hallway had turned into a steep tunnel which only led down, down, down. He grabbed one of the pipes running along the walls and carefully began to climb down. The only thing to concentrate on was the sounds Shachi and Law made, climbing ahead of him as if they knew exactly where they had to go. Penguin knew, too. At least in theory. The engineering room was at the heck of the Polar Tang, two levels lower than the bridge. They had to follow the hallway to the ladder at the end of the submarine and then climb down. 

Still. Were they even going in the right direction?

Penguin’s breath picked up speed again. His chest felt tight, as if a rope was wrapped around him and pulling, pulling- He took a deep, gulping breath, but there didn’t seem to come any air into his lungs. Had Bepo been wrong? Were they already out of air? The thought of dying here - several kilometers beneath the surface, alone and in complete darkness - nearly let his muscles freeze.

Law squeezed his hand. “Keep calm, Pen.”

“Trying to,” Penguin squeezed out. His voice seemed way too loud.

“It’s not easy, I know,” Shachi reassured him from his other side. His hand was moist with sweat. “But we’re going to be okay. Right, Captain?”

“Right.”

They kept talking as they carefully walked along the hallway. They couldn’t run - it was too easy to lose orientation. Soon, they had arrived at the ladder and Law told them to follow.

Penguin had closed his eyes a few minutes ago. It was easier that way, as if he could pretend that he just couldn’t see because he chose to. His mind was already playing tricks on him, little specks of color playing behind his eyelids. He arrived at the first level and climbed even deeper until his feet met solid floor again.

The turbines had to be to the left. He had some tools in his pocket, but how was he supposed to work on them without seeing anything? He took a deep breath, steading himself with one hand against the pipes. He had to think. Think.

A flashlight. There had to be a flashlight somewhere around here. He had used it just yesterday when he had been needing a little more light and had left it - next to one of the pipes. He just had to find it. Quickly, he let go of the two and fell to his knees, his hands brushing over the floor.

“Are you alright? Pen?”

There was a fizzle and something hot sparked against his hand, the tiniest dot of light catching his attention.

“Wait - I’m searching-”

His hands brushed over dirt, knocked against pipes and hot copper wires and a lone bolt - and then suddenly, he bumped against something else, his fingers fumbling with the object and finding a switch.

The light nearly blinded him. Law and Shachi groaned. He could see how they held their hands over their eyes. He blinked, brushing moisture out of his eyes. The turbines next to them were emitting sparks.

“Pen, you’re a genius,” Shachi said, clearly relieved. Penguin smiled at him.

“I try.”

He knelt down in front of the turbines, assessing the damage. There was a huge dent in the bottom of the ship, crushing against the turbine and nearly pushing it out of its embedment, and some of the cables had been ripped out of their sockets. He leaned further forward, the flashlight’s light casting shadows on the walls. There was a hole in the turbine from where it had been pushed against one of the upper pipes.

This wasn’t a small damage. The cables were easy to fix, the rest of it was not.

He wouldn’t be able to fix this in just under an hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think (・・；)


	3. Chapter 3

Penguin tried his best. He got to work immediately, trying to find a way to get the turbine working even though he knew there was no way he could with the excessive damage and the short time window he had. But he tried. He had to.

They were going to die.

The fact settled slowly in his stomach. In the end, it wasn’t the Government or an opposing pirate crew who sealed the deal, but a freak accident they had maneuvered themselves into all by their own. It would have been easy to accuse Law that is was all his fault. That he had doomed them to die. But what would be the point? For some reason, the inevitability let calm seep into Penguin.

The air had already become more stale. Or was that his imagination? Penguin remembered playing in a lake when he had been a kid; he and Shachi had spent the entire summer there, swimming and playing. They had a hard life back then, begging on the streets and sometimes selling little trinkets they made from scrap metals they found in the trash. Not that they had known it. For them, they hadn’t known anything else. Penguin always had tried to dive to the bottom of the lake. But it had been too deep and he couldn’t hold his breath long enough. Each time he’d try, and each time his lungs would burn and his heart would begin to pound until he came back to the surface, gasping for air.

Then, one day, he had come up with a solution. He had built himself a little submarine, as he had called it - using the basket he and Shachi had used to sell their self-made trinkets and stuffing the air holes with clay from the lake’s shore. He had put the basket in the sun and had waited the entire day for the clay to try up. Shachi had told him he way crazy; there was no way there wouldn’t come any water through it.

He hadn’t cared. The next day, he had taken the basket to the lake and went to where it was deepest. He had put the basket over his head, the hollow filled with air, and had sunken under water.

It hadn’t been easy to dive with the air pulling him up, but the basket wasn’t that big to begin with and he was a strong swimmer. It had been weird to dive this way - his head was still dry and he was breathing.

That is, until he wasn’t.

From one second to the next, there was nothing left to breath in. He had choked and ripped the basket from his head, pushing to the lake’s surface as fast as he could. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he’d swam up to the shore and had laid down, flat on his back and with his arms and legs splayed against the clay until Shachi had found him and asked him what happened.

Even though he hadn’t really hurt himself, he had never forgotten the moment there was no air left.

Penguin’s hands trembled. Back then, getting to the surface had been easy. He hadn’t been in any real danger. Now, he wouldn’t be able to do the same.

The hour was almost up.

Law was sitting with his back against the other side, leaning his head against one of the thicker pipes. He had his eyes only barely open, his hands on his legs with his palms up. 

“You can stop now, Pen,” he murmured. Penguin didn’t. He would go crazy if he stopped now. He didn’t want to just - just wait until it happened. “Pen.”

It was Shachi who pulled him back and gently plucked the screwdriver and flashlight out of his hand. They didn’t speak. Penguin couldn’t. If he’d open his mouth, he’d cry. They sat together with Law, the three of them close, the flashlight pointing somewhere into the engineering room. They didn’t need it anymore. Shachi slung an arm around him and Penguin buried his face in his neck. Another pair of arms came around him; he could barely make out the tattoos on Law’s hands, everything was blurred.

He wondered how it would feel to suffocate. The feeling was unpleasant enough when he dove beneath the Polar Tang, his lungs burning as he kicked the water to get to the surface. But there was no surface now, nothing to reach out to.

Would it hurt until the end?

Already, he felt as if the air had become so thin. How much time had passed exactly?

Shachi was holding him tight, his hands clasped behind Penguin’s back, but Law’s embrace felt loose. Penguin pushed back against him, shuddering. He didn’t want him to be that far away now.

Suddenly, Law jumped up to his feet and snatched the flashlight from the floor. He didn’t say anything, just dashed to the ladder.

“Wait - where - where are you going?” Shachi called, his body tensing.

Law began to climb up the ladder.

“Fricking bastard,” Shachi grumbled. Penguin stared at the ladder and the vanishing light. Where was he running to? He broke away from Shachi.

“Let’s go after him!” he called over his shoulder, already following Law. It was nearly too dark to see, but the flashlight was like a beacon of light. Behind him, Shachi was breathing hard. Law didn’t go back to the bridge, but climbed the ladder even further up until he was on the top floor. Penguin could see him running along the hallway. What was his plan?

Law was running straight to the tall double doors which lead to the outside deck. The doors were as thick as Penguin’s arm to withstand the immense pressure while diving and had several lock mechanism so they wouldn’t accidentally open. Law was fumbling with them.

Oh no.

“What the hell are you doing?” Shachi cried out, detaching himself from Penguin and running in his direction. Penguin was rooted to the spot. The first lock clicked open. Shachi was only a few meters away from him, hands outstretched.

The second, and then the third and last lock came undone. Law opened the doors.

Penguin couldn’t even close his eyes.

Water flooded the submarine and he held his breath-

Nothing happened. Only a small amount of water had trickled through the door. Law was already going out onto the deck. It was wet with puddles. Penguin stared, his mouth hanging open.

They weren’t dead.

He followed them. Blue light was streaming into the hallway so that he nearly had to close his eyes. He steadied himself with a hand against the wall and passed Shachi whose eyes were exactly as wide as his own, body trembling.

They were in a giant cave. Massive stone walls surrounded a small lake in which the Polar Tang had resurfaced. The lake was barely big enough to accomodate the submarine, its nose pointing up and half crashed on the shore. The green-tinted light was originating from numerous sparkling crystals embedded in the stone around them. Penguin craned his head back. The ceiling was too far away to make it out completely, vanishing into the shadows cast by wide crevices which lead further up.

“What the hell is this place?” Shachi was the first one to find his words, his words echoing slightly. He stepped up to the railing and placed his hands on it. “Do you think the vortex brought us here?” 

“It’s the only explanation we have,” Law answered. “Come on, we have to tell the others.” With that, he went below again.

Shachi huffed. “Way to appreciate that we’re alive.”

Penguin sat down. His legs simply couldn’t stand anymore. His muscles were trembling. Shachi sat down next to him and slung an arm around his shoulder. Together, they stared at the wonder that was this cave. Where were they? Where the hell had this come from?

But for the moment, he was grateful that they were alive. Alive. Penguin breathed a sigh of relief. It still hadn’t settled completely that the crew was safe - for now. They had no idea where they were or how to go back. But at least they had air to breathe and weren’t several kilometers beneath sea level.

After that, the crew came on deck. Everyone had the same reaction as them: Awed, but confused. Penguin did everything he did to reassure them - as the second in command, it was part of his duties. Law on the other hand had jumped off the ship as soon as they had lowered the plank and had begun to walk on the shore.

The crystals were really convenient, Penguin couldn’t help but think as he stared up at the cave’s ceiling. Without them, it would be completely dark. He had never seen something like it. Were they just naturally occuring? They were probably worth a fortune if anyone would bother to mine them and bring them up. Penguin itched to get his hands on one of them so he could find out what made them glow.

But even more than that, he wanted to find out a way out of this cave. From where he stood, he couldn’t make out a single speck of vegetation which was unusual at a place with so much water as this. They still had their rations on board, but those would only hold out for a week at most. And they still had to repair the Polar Tang because the damage was significantly more severe this time. They wouldn’t go anywhere until the turbine was repaired.

He walked over the plank and joined Law who was busy staring into space.

“What are your orders, captain?” Penguin asked quietly. Law scoffed.

“Hell if I know. I have Bepo running calculations. See if he can find out where we are.”

“Should we explore, then?” Penguin shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe there’s a way out.”

“Sure.” Law stared at him hard. “But don’t go alone. You’re only allowed to go in groups of three, that’s an order. Tell the crew.”

“Alright.” Penguin nodded. He didn’t want to leave yet, the shock still sitting deep in his bones. To distract himself, he touched the wall of the cave. It was cold. “Are you okay?”

Law glanced at him. He seemed pale, as if the hour down in the engineering room had taken years of his life.

“Go tell the crew,” he repeated instead of answering, then turned around and went to the submarine. 

Standing there, Penguin realized his shoes were wet.

“Ah, fuck,” he murmured, then went back to the crew and did what he was told.

* * *

A short time later, he, Shachi and to his chagrin also Connor headed out to explore the cave. They weren’t the only group to do so; Law had sent out two other groups into the various tunnels leading from the cave while the rest of the crew was busy repairing the Polar Tang.

Penguin wasn’t sure what Law’s deal was what with sending both Shachi and he on the same mission. Law knew that him and Shachi had, well, not really a fight, but that they weren’t speaking with each other at the moment. Shachi was walking ahead, his sword at his side and his jumpsuit pulled down, the sleeves knotted together. It was warm in the cave. Thankfully not as warm as in the submarine, but the humidity was just high enough to let sweat pool on their backs. Penguin and Connor had done the same with their jumpsuits, although Penguin had still his hat on. He didn’t like to be without it.

“I hope we’re not gonna get lost here,” Connor said, most likely only to interrupt the silence.

It was a reasonable fear. They were only on their way for less than five minutes, but the giant cave where the Polar Tang lay wasn’t visible at all. Although they could still hear them - if he concentrated on it, he could still make out the voices of his crewmates calling out to each other or the clang of tools while they repaired the sub.

Instead, they followed what seemed to be one of the bigger tunnels, carefully avoiding the numerous branch-offs which would surely get them lost if they tried to explore them. Penguin knew that there was a good chance they would only reach a dead-end. As far as he could tell, the cave was naturally occurring; the ground was jagged with rocks which were smooth from all the water flowing through and sometimes he could only catch a glimpse of smaller caves or narrow passages between huge rock formations. The thought of trying to crawl through one of these spurred him on to get closer to the other two.

“We’re not gonna get lost,” he said. Partly to alleviate his own fear.

“I hope so, because if we do-”

“This again?” Penguin interrupted him. “I swear, if you’re gonna shit your pants-”

That was when he noticed Shachi wasn’t in front of them anymore. He halted. The tunnel in front of them was completely empty.

“Where is he?” Connor cried out. Penguin shouldered past him.

“He can’t be that far. I’m sure he’s just around the corner.”

He began to move again. The tunnel was steadily sloping now, the ground slippery with water, but Penguin wasn’t a fool. He hadn’t been a Heart Pirate for a decade for nothing - carefully balancing, he steadied himself with his hands on the wall. It was as smooth as the ground, but he managed to find enough hold as he hopped down and continued to follow the tunnel.

“Shachi?” he called out. That was a mistake; his voice echoed off the surrounding walls, becoming quieter every time as if he himself was moving away and for a second, he became uncomfortably aware of all the stone surrounding them. It was almost the same claustrophobic feeling as deep in the sea.

Connor jumped down behind him, the slap of his feet also echoing. There was a sound of someone calling, but he couldn’t make out the words. It had to be Shachi.

“Hell, why did he have to run off on his own?” Connor muttered. He was pale.

Penguin wanted to admonish him, but he couldn’t think of any words. Maybe Shachi had been lost in his head - maybe he hadn’t noticed that they hadn’t followed him as fast. It didn’t matter. There was no need to worry. They wouldn’t get lost, he had promised it.

“Come on,” he said to Connor, kinder than he felt.

The tunnel was becoming narrower now and soon Penguin had to steady himself with his hands on both sides of it, as if he was trying to push against the rock and prevent it from crushing them. It wasn’t a comforting thought at all.

He wanted to call out again, but there was only one way Shachi could have gone at this point as there weren’t any branch-offs where he would have fit through.

After a minute or so, he suddenly tripped over something lying on the ground. He fell down and hit his knee and hissed.

“What? What’s wrong?” Connor asked from behind him.

Penguin glanced at the ground.

There was a bucket lying there.

“What the hell,” he stated.

“What is it? What’s going on?” Connor couldn’t see anything as the path was too narrow at this point and Penguin was blocking the way.

Penguin rubbed his knee, ignoring the pain radiating from it. He got up, careful not to bump his head on the ceiling. Connor peeked over his shoulder.

“Where did this come from?”

“I don’t know.” He hadn’t expected something like that to pop out of nowhere. The bucket seemed to be in good condition, too, as if it had just been used. Water was dripping out of it, the spill slowly running over the stone and vanishing into various cracks. “I think … someone else is here.”

“What?” Connor looked around as if expecting that someone would just come around the corner and say hello to them.

“There’s no other explanation,” Penguin said, adjusting his grip on his spear. If someone else was here, it would be wise to not let his guard down. There wasn’t a lot of room to move to begin with and his weapon of choice was more a burden than helpful in here. He glanced at Connor. “If something happens, I’ll need your help.”

Connor pressed his mouth into a thin line, but nodded.

They still hadn’t found Shachi. But he had answered them a few minutes ago, hadn’t he? He couldn’t be too sure with the weird echoes in here.

They left the bucket where it was and went further into the cave. By now, it wasn’t possible anymore to go upright and Penguin had to duck his head so as not to bang it into the ceiling. He could hear Connor’s harsh breathing behind him. He knew he wasn’t handling tight spaces too well - as he had seen several times while they were riding the shuttle - but it was grating on his nerves. His back was slick with sweat. Was it becoming hotter?

As he rounded the corner, he nearly bumped into Shachi. He was standing in front of a pile of rocks which were blocking the way.

“Shachi!” Penguin shoved his side. “Why have you run off?”

But as he saw Shachi’s face, he immediately shut up. Shachi was white as a ghost and on his forehead he saw a bruise already blossoming into blue colors.

“Sorry, Pen.” Shachi blinked. “I thought - I thought I saw something.”

“What did you see?” Penguin put his hands on Shachi’s shoulders and turned him around. He remembered the bucket they had come across. “Did you see someone?”

“I - I’m not sure. It may have been my imagination.”

Penguin searched his face. But except for the bruise he seemed unharmed.

“Are you okay?”

Shachi hesitated.

“I think I’d like to go home for now.”

Penguin nodded. They couldn’t go any further anyway - the way was blocked. It was possible that they would be able to remove the blockage, but for that they should bring some more equipment. Also, they should probably talk to their Captain. If anyone was down here with them, he should know immediately.

As they made their way back, they came across the bucket again. Shachi halted abruptly and Penguin bumped into him.

“What-” Penguin began to ask.

“Did you bring that here?”

“Um - no? Didn’t you see that on your way here? We found it just before we found you.”

Shachi stared at the bucket.

“No, I - I haven’t come across it.”

This was ridiculous. There was only one way, Shachi had to have come across it when he had went ahead. There was no way he would have overlooked it.

“Let’s take it with us, okay?” It was only a bucket, not much use to them, but for some reason Penguin couldn’t leave it here for now. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be there if they came to look for it later.

He picked the bucket up. The rest of their way back was silent and exhausting, as the tunnel now lead upwards. But Penguin hadn’t imagined it, the air was cooling down as they climbed up again. He’d have to think about that later.

He had never felt so relieved when they finally came out into the cave. The Polar Tang had been righted to its usual position and now lay calmly at the shore. Law must have used his powers to accomplish that.

He could see his crewmates working on the sub. They had sat up camp on the shore and Law was working on a small table he probably also had brought there with his power. Penguin sighed as he saw him pouring over one of these damn books again.

Law looked up as they approached him.

“You’re back sooner than I thought,” he said in way of greeting.

“Well, the tunnel has collapsed. We couldn’t go any further.” Penguin placed the bucket on the table next to Law. “But we found this. We have reason to believe that we aren’t alone.”

Law’s eyes widened.

“You found this?” he asked, unnecessarily, as his fingers traced the bucket’s rim. Penguin hadn’t bothered with examining it any further, but now he did. It was a simple bucket, made from wood and a single metal strap framing it. “Did you see anyone?”

“I didn’t.” Penguin glanced at Shachi, who was unusually quiet. “But I think Shachi did.”

“What exactly did you see?” Law had turned around in his seat. Shachi squirmed.

“I - I’m not sure I saw anything at all, to be honest.” Penguin watched him like a hawk. Shachi wasn’t that easily intimated, so why was he acting this way? “I thought I heard something - like steps - that’s why I went ahead.” Law’s eyes narrowed as he heard this, but he didn’t say anything. At least for now. “And I thought I met someone’s eyes. Just for a second. But then I lost him.”

“Did you see anything else at all? Was it a man or a woman?”

Shachi shrugged.

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Have the others come back?” Penguin asked. He didn’t see them anywhere. Law shook his head. Fuck. He hoped they were okay.

“They can protect themselves,” Law stated, even though he cast a worrisome look at the end of the cavern where the tunnels began. Penguin knew that he was right, but he still had a queasy feeling in his stomach. He glanced at Shachi, who was still white as a sheet.

“Come on,” he snuck an arm around his shoulders and glanced meaningfully at Law before making his way to the Polar Tang. He still had work to do, like figuring out how the hell he would repair the turbines, but first he wanted to know what had Shachi shaken up like this.

Most of the crew were working on the sub at the moment, so they passed a lot of them on their way to the kitchen. He figured both of them could use something to drink and a bite to eat after their little adventure.

Thankfully, the kitchen was empty at the moment. Penguin sat Shachi down at the table and grabbed some food out of the fridge.

“So, did anything else happen?” He filled a glass with water and placed it in front of Shachi who was fumbling with his hat. “Shachi. What’s wrong? Is it - because of earlier? Are you not telling me everything?”

Shachi took the water and gulped it down.

“I’m not sure I actually saw someone,” he finally said.

“But you met someone’s eyes you said.”

“Yeah. I don’t know. Maybe it was only my imagination.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, where would he have gone, right? You saw it yourself. It was a dead-end.”

“Maybe there was a tunnel we have overlooked?” But even as he said it, he knew they hadn’t. But there was also this bucket, it had to have come from somewhere. “I’m sure there is a logical explanation for all this. And look at the bright side - if there really was someone down there, that means there is a way out of here, right?”

That actually worked. Shachi’s mouth twitched and he leaned to the side and against Penguin, who instantly slid a hand in his hair and scratched his neck.

“Don’t you scare me like that again, okay?” He felt like their roles were reversed. Usually, it was only Penguin who was being comforted and Shachi was the one with all the answers. It seemed like Shachi had too much on his mind these days.

“You know, we should really go to talk to Law,” Shachi murmured into the fabric of Penguin’s shirt.

“But we just did.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Shachi slung his arms around him and pressed his face into Penguin’s stomach, not looking at him. “I mean - about us. Us three. I don’t have a solution yet that will work for everyone, but it can’t go on like this. And I want him to know that I’m not happy with this.”

“I’m pretty sure he knows something’s up.”

“Yeah.” Shachi pulled away. “But I’m not sure if he plans to actually do something about it.”

Penguin didn’t say it, but that thought had already crossed his mind, too. Law could be kind of a selfish prick if he wanted to and was also slow to warm up to new ideas. He still could hardly believe that he had allowed Shachi and Penguin to resume their relationship at all.

But that was the wrong way of thinking anyway, wasn't it? Consent worked both ways. Law couldn’t forbid him something and still expect Penguin to be available for him. They had to work on it, _together_.

“Okay. Let’s do this.”

“This evening then?” Shachi pushed. Penguin nodded after only a second of hesitation.

Shachi got up, still pale, but altogether looking better than he had just moments before. His red hair was sticking in every direction as always and he smoothed it down with one hand before putting his hat back on it again. Then he showed Penguin a dashing smile.

Grabbing Penguin’s hand, he pulled him close. Penguin desperately needed a shower, but that didn’t seem to deter Shachi as he pecked him on the cheek.

“What was that for?” Penguin asked, blushing slightly.

“For being a great boyfriend of course.” Shachi grinned. Penguin bit his lip so as not to grin back, but failed.

Suddenly, he became aware of the fact that they were still alone in the kitchen. Shachi watched him, his eyes flitting towards Penguin’s mouth. Then, without any warning, he leaned forward and kissed Penguin who tried to lean back - but Shachi was still holding his hands and didn't let go. He could have broken away, if he really wanted to, but Shachi’s mouth on his was just too good, moving in that exact way he liked-

Penguin made a noise and kissed back. Shachi hugged him close, his body radiating heat, and Penguin slipped his hands over his tank top and beneath the seam, brushing over his flat stomach. Shachi slipped his hands into his hair. It had only been a few days, but it felt like Penguin was starved for his touch and he moaned quietly into his mouth as Shachi stuck his tongue out, skillfully reducing him into a mess.

Finally, Shachi broke away. His face matched his hair and he was breathing hard. Swallowing, he straightened out his tank top with both hands. Penguin was half hard already.

“Let’s meet this evening at the captain’s quarters?” Shachi asked. His voice was rough.

Penguin nodded, which made Shachi smile. He didn’t kiss him again - god, why had he done that? If Law knew, he’d surely be mad. Penguin watched as Shachi left the kitchen, still uncomfortably aroused.

Surely there had to be a way for the three of them to be together without having a bad conscience anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't realized it has been such a long time since I uploaded this fic ^^°  
> So here you go, have an extra long chapter in which Law both is a dick and gets dick (kinda) xD

Penguin was lazing around on Law’s bed. He had gone to the captain’s quarters a bit earlier than usual, left with not much to do until he figured out how exactly he would be able to fix the turbines. The incident in the tunnels had also left a queasy feeling in his stomach. He had been so relieved when the other teams had emerged from the tunnels some time later, although no one had experienced anything strange. But Shachi’s behaviour had been weird. He just knew that Shachi wasn’t telling him everything, but with the way they were right now he didn’t know if he could tickle it out of him. Hopefully, it would all fall into place by itself.

Law had been - what a surprise - working on the books for the past half hour. From what he could tell, it was the same book in which they had found the coordinates. It was worrisome that he still was so obsessed with it even in their dire situation.

A chair scraped over the floor and Penguin looked up. Law was approaching him, eyes tired. Uprighting the submarine must have taken a toll on him. He set his hat on the corner of the bed, then laid down next to him and slid his arms around him without hesitation. Penguin took a deep breath. It were moments like these which reminded him of how far they had actually come.

“Tired?” he asked, burying his hands in Law’s thick hair. Law didn’t answer him directly, but sighed and pressed his face into the crook of his neck. His breath tickled.

Penguin pulled him closer, their legs intertwining, and ran his fingers through his hair. Law couldn’t be comfortable lying down with those tight jeans. His treacherous mind provided the thought without a trace of inhibition. Law’s breath felt hot against his skin and if Penguin hadn’t been so preoccupied with the plans he had for this evening, he would already have pinned him to the bed and had his way with him.

But no. This evening, Shachi and he had wanted to speak with Law about their relationship. If Penguin was honest, he was terrified. Loving Law had never been easy; his captain’s temper was too short, his moods swinging back and forth without any control at all. It felt like walking on the edge of a sharp tightrope - he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his balance forever and while he tried not to fall off, it kept cutting him.

Law pressed himself more insistently against him, breath quickening slightly as he placed a kiss against his pulse. Penguin’s hands twitched.

“We should wait until Shachi comes here,” he said, not pushing Law away, but also not reacting. Law murmured something against his skin. Then he nipped him, almost playful. Penguin jerked. It seemed that Law was in a really good mood today. Maybe it had something to do with them being alive and all. He almost wanted to give in and fool around with him anyway, but Shachi would be here soon and he really didn’t want to start their conversation this way.

“I mean it, Law,” he said. “Let’s wait for Shachi.”

This time, Law stopped. Penguin was glad for it - he didn’t want to get into a fight with him even before they had that talk. That would be difficult enough.

Law raised his head, searching his eyes. Damn, he really looked tired. Penguin wanted to do something against it, but he didn’t know what. Sleeping with him was only a short-lived remedy.

“What are you planning?” Law finally asked.

“What? What do you mean?”

Law narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Pen. I know that you’re up to something.”

Penguin swallowed. Shachi wasn’t here yet and he really didn’t want to start this conversation while he was still alone with Law. It wasn’t like he was afraid of him. Just … Shachi was so much better to maintain his ground.

“Pen,” Law ground out.

“It’s,” Penguin evaded his eyes, “it’s just that we wanted to talk to you. About something.”

“And what might that be?”

“I’m going to tell you when he’s here, okay?”

“And why can’t you tell me now?” Law huffed. His cheeks were still slightly red from his earlier advances, but Penguin was pretty sure that he was talking to his captain right now.

“Because it’s something that involves all of us,” Penguin said, sitting up. Law was doing the same, crossing his legs and giving him a blank stare. He had probably already deduced what this would be about. Hopefully Shachi would show up soon.

Law held his gaze until it became uncomfortable.

“Is this something you came up with or was it Shachi’s idea?” he finally asked.

“Um … both of us, I guess?” Well, mostly it had been Shachi, but as soon as Penguin knew how unhappy Shachi was with their current deal, he had been in the same boat.

“So you’ve been … unhappy.” It wasn’t a question. Law’s face was nearly expressionless, but Penguin had known him for long enough to see how tense he was. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t lie about how happy Law made him, but he could also not hide how he felt like constantly toeing the line, juggling between both Shachi’s and Law’s needs.

Now, he had probably hesitated too long as Law turned away from him and prepared to get up from the bed.

“Should have known it,” he muttered, just as there came the knock on the door. Law called for him to come in.

Shachi stuck his head through the door, a smile on his face.

“Hey, how ya doing? I was half afraid you’d start the snogging session without me!”

Penguin winced. He knew that Shachi was just playing the part and trying to start the evening off light-hearted, but this definitely wasn’t the way to go at this moment. Shachi’s smile fell. It seemed like he had already caught up on the atmosphere.

“Everything alright?” He glanced at Penguin. Shachi could probably read him like a book. Law had crossed his arms. He didn’t say anything. Penguin bit his lip.

“Would you close the door?” he asked. Thankfully, Shachi did so and came to a halt next to the bed. He must have showered before he had come here; Penguin could smell his favorite soap on him.

“Have you already talked?” Shachi asked.

Penguin nodded. “A bit.”

The bed sheets rustled as Law got up from the bed entirely. He was tense, his arms crossed in front of his body and his expression closed off, and Penguin’s stomach dropped.

“So what it is you wanted so badly to talk to me about?” Law made it sound like this was an unreasonable thing to do. Shachi hesitated, maybe caught off guard by Law’s sudden mood swing which was nearly hostile, but then spoke up anyway.

“It’s about the deal we made. Or you made.” Shachi straightened his back and straightened his posture. That way, he was almost as tall as Law. “I don’t want it. Never wanted it anyway, to be truthful. I think it’s unfair to me and Pen.”

“How is it unfair?”

Shachi took a deep breath. He tried to look calm, but Penguin could see how his hands tightened to fists against his sides. Maybe he should say something, too. To help Shachi. But he didn’t know what and he had the horrible feeling this was already going south.

“How is it not? I can’t even kiss him without your supervision! And the other way around? You can fool around as much as you like, regardless if I’m there or not while I have to sneak around or come to your quarters just so I can kiss my boyfriend!”

“You seemed fine with it when we made the deal.”

“But only because you didn’t leave me a choice!” Now Shachi got louder. His face was turning red, maybe because of anger or frustration and Penguin couldn’t take it anymore; he jumped up from the bed and touched his arm. Shachi glanced at him and swallowed, his breathing slowing down as he pulled him into a one-armed hug.

Law looked back and forth between them. On the surface, he seemed calm, but Penguin knew him better than that.

“So this has been your plan all along?” he finally spoke up, addressing Shachi. “You agreed to this just so you can change it later?”

“That’s not what this is about!”

Law gritted his teeth.

“So what is it you want me to do? Should I just give you a free ticket to do whatever you want?”

“Why do you have to be such a dick about it?” Shachi finally exploded, rushing forward, but Penguin held on to him. “I just want this relationship to be equal!”

“I have been - generous enough to let you be with him.” Law swallowed. “Now that is not enough for you. What else are you going to want in the future?” 

Penguin let go of Shachi. He didn’t touch Law, not yet.

“Law.” He waited until Law looked at him. “Please. You don’t have to make a decision now. But think on it, okay? Think about how Shachi feels, it’s - he’s really trying. But you have to do so, too.”

Law’s mouth twisted into something ugly.

“Oh, I have to? Let’s see about that.”

Shachi touched his hand.

“Come on, Pen.”

He didn’t want to leave. But he was also not sure how much longer he could remain calm.

“Go ahead, I’ll follow you in a minute,” Penguin murmured to Shachi. Shachi didn’t seem convinced, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

“But-”

“I mean it. I’ll be fine,” he added, then gave him a gentle shove. Shachi left, but not without throwing a last worried glance at him before he closed the door.

Law was staring at the door as if he wanted to murder it. Penguin steeled himself.

“So. Your thoughts?”

“If I knew this would happen I’d never even proposed that deal.” He turned away and sat down at his desk, staring at the books as if they’d also had something to say to him. Penguin was left standing in the middle of the room, his stomach dropping as if in free fall.

“But can’t you see why this is so important to him?” Penguin asked. “You won’t lose anything if you agree to him. And, to be honest …” He couldn’t say it.

“What?”

“To be honest, it’s something I want as well.”

Law didn’t answer. He was still staring at his desk, but Penguin doubted he saw anything there. He made a step towards him, hand reaching out for him, but Law only curled in on himself and said, “Not now, Pen.”

Penguin took a deep breath, then another one. He had to give him time. Right? For Law, all of this came out of the blue. They had given him something to think about and now he should just go and let him cool down. And maybe this had been the wrong moment after all - they had barely escaped a deathly situation and were trapped for an indefinite amount of time. Law had to be exhausted, but physically and mentally and the both of them had nothing better to do than add to his burden.

He opened his mouth - tried to say something, maybe a few words of apology, a new plea, a reassurance that he loved him and nothing ever would change that. But in the end, he didn't. He moved towards the door, hesitated, the tears suddenly dangerously close to the surface. He had made it so far without them.

When he left the captain’s quarters, he found Shachi waiting outside. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and eyes troubled. He looked up as Penguin closed the door.

“How did it go?”

Penguin just shrugged his shoulders. His breath came in stutters. Shachi’s eyes widened and he didn’t understand why until Shachi pulled him into a hug and pressed his face onto his shoulder, the fabric growing wet and - oh, he was crying. No wonder, he thought dully. He didn’t know what would happen next. All he knew was that he was terribly, frighteningly upset. He put his arms up and clutched the fabric of Shachi’s jumpsuit and pressed his mouth against his shoulder in an attempt to muffle his sounds.

“Come on, let’s go,” Shachi murmured against his hair. Penguin didn’t move.

“What if he says no?” He couldn’t imagine Law saying yes. He just couldn’t. It would be nothing short of a miracle.

“He won’t.”

“You can’t know that.”

“Well, if he doesn’t, he can fuck off.”

“Shachi!” Nervous laughter bubbled up in Penguin. “He’s our captain!”

“No, in this relationship he isn't. Fuck him if he thinks he can just do what he wants.” Shachi pulled him tighter. “I won’t have a bad conscience just because I want to be with you.”

“I wish it was that easy,” Penguin whispered. He was distinctly becoming aware that the two of them were still standing in the hallway in front of the captain’s quarters. It was deserted at the moment, but that fact could change quickly.

“It is,” Shachi answered.

After that, they sneaked back to their quarters, thankfully not meeting anyone who could have asked about Penguin’s swollen eyes.

* * *

Surprisingly, Penguin slept like a log. They had went to bed early and cuddled together in one bed like they had used to. Penguin was thankful that Shachi hadn’t tried to kiss him or anything like that, he wasn’t sure if he could have handled it that time. He had woken up late and Shachi had already been gone.

Now, he was preparing for diving beneath the sub again to prepare the hull for renewing its coating. It wouldn’t be easy, he would probably need to come up for air every few minutes, but he couldn’t use the shuttle for that kind of delicate work. He was equipped with a spatula to scrape off the remnants of coating that would be in the way if he tried to just put a new layer on it. They would have to lift the sub out of the water to get the coating on - a difficult task not only because it would seriously diminish Law’s powers, but also because the cave they were in wasn’t big enough to hold a large submarine like theirs.

Ah, he shouldn’t think of his captain. He hadn’t seen him since last evening. He had probably been awake the whole night again, brooding over those fucking books which had brought them into the desperate situation in the first place.

Having arrived at the shore, Penguin stripped of his jumpsuit and his hat until he was only clad in boxer shorts and the thin tank top he used to wear beneath it. It would be easier to swim without the jumpsuit dragging him down.

He sat down and slipped his feet into the water. It wasn’t too cold. The surface had probably warmed up due to the crystal’s light. He took a deep breath, spatula in hand, then jumped in and dove into the water. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes. The submarine with its yellow coating would have been visible even if the water hadn’t been so incredibly clear. He looked down and saw that the basin was deeper than he could possible dive. On a whim, he tried looking for the opening through which they had to have come when the vortex had pulled them down and quickly found it - a wide and dark tunnel at the bottom of the basin. They would have to leave that way when they had managed to repair the Polar Tang.

With a push of his legs he swam through the water and beneath the sub. He’d quickly found the spot where the submarine had taken damage and began to scrape the loose flakes of paint off. If they didn’t recoat it, it would quickly rust and they couldn’t afford something like that.

After a few minutes, he needed to come up for air and quickly paddled to the surface. He spent a moment or two breathing while treading water, then dove back again. The flakes didn’t come off easy.

He was so absorbed in his work that he didn’t immediately notice being watched. His neckprickled. He whirled around, air bubbles escaping him. Was someone else from the crew working on the hull? The water was clear, but he couldn’t see anyone. The water felt colder somehow. His lungs began to burn and he pushed off to the surface.

His hair was sticking to his face as he broke the surface, so he slicked it back and looked around. Some of the crew was working next to the sub. The rest was probably inside, seeing to maintenance and trying to get it running again. Bepo was standing next to a folding table and hovering over some maps. Penguin swam to the shore, but didn’t get out of the water.

“Hey, Bepo,” he called. The polar bear turned around. He seemed much better now than yesterday, the fresh air doing him a world of good. Bepo was always the one suffering the most while they were submerged. Being left in the dark while they were trying to get the electricity back on must have also not been easy on him.

Bepo stared at him for a second, then blinked.

“Oh - hey! What’s up, can I help you?”

“Yeah, who else is working on the sub right now?” Penguin grabbed the cliff edge to stabilize himself.

“Huh? Look over there, Connor and Jean Bart are.” He pointed to the two who were currently on top of the submarine. “Why are you asking?”

Penguin halted. He hadn’t seen anyone down there, but he had felt someone’s eyes on his back. Of course, he hadn’t any kind of Observation Haki, but he was sure he wasn’t mistaken.

“No one’s working on the hull besides me?” he clarified.

Bepo furrowed his eyebrows. It was barely visible because they were just as white as the rest of his fur.

“Not as far as I know. What do you mean?”

“Never mind.” With that, Penguin swam towards the submarine again. The water seemed deeper somehow, the slight ripples directing his attention here and there.

After yesterday, he was probably just imagining things.

He held his breath, then dove down again. His heart was beating a steady rhythm in his chest. No need to be anxious. He’d just scrape the rest of the coating off and then repaint it as soon as Law would have lifted it out of the water. He should talk to him about that soon. Maybe he had cooled down enough by now so he could talk to him about that other thing.

Suddenly, he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. He whirled around, this time managing to hold the air in his lungs. Something dashed through the water and vanished, right in front of his eyes. Penguin whirled around, trying to find it again, but it was nowhere to be seen. His fist tightened around the spatula. He wished he had his spear with him, even though its weight would only have dragged him down. His heartbeat was thundering in his ears. He hadn’t imagined this. He wasn’t alone.

He had no air left, his chest suddenly constricting, and surged towards the surface, all the time looking over his shoulder.

He climbed out of the water, shivering. Bepo shot him a weird look, but he ignored him.

He had to tell Law.

* * *

Finding Law was a difficult feat, though. He wasn’t outside as he had been yesterday, so that really only left one other place.

Penguin knocked on the door of his quarters, having dried off for the most part, even though his hair was still dripping. He had put his jumpsuit back on as well as his hat. It instantly made him feel more safe.

He waited a few moments, but there came no answer. He knocked again.

“Captain?”

Still no answer. Maybe he really wasn’t here? There were still some other places he could be. Like the kitchen. To get coffee. Following shutting himself away in his quarters. Penguin got closer to the door.

“Law, please open the door,” he tried again. “I have to tell you something.”

Still no answer. Penguin groaned. Of all the situations Law could suddenly decide not to let him in anymore, this had to be at least in the top five.

“Fine!” he told the door. “I’m not going to beg you. I’ll be outside, if you decide to listen to me.”

With that, he turned around. Law would probably be pissed, but so what? So was he. He was tired of being constantly pushed around. This wasn’t the reason he had fallen in love.

He made a detour to Shachi’s and his quarters, picked up his spear and then made his way back outside. Bepo shot him a curious look as he saw him approaching.  
“What do you want with that?” He nodded at the spear.

“I think there is something in the water,” Penguin said as he slipped out of his jumpsuit again.

“What?” Bepo shrieked. “Why are you getting in then?”

“I want to see what it is.” He slipped into the water. “Don’t worry, I’ve got my weapon with me. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He dove down before Bepo could protest any further. The water was clear as always and he kept his eyes open to search his surroundings. It was highly probable that whatever he had seen would show itself again. It hadn’t attacked him so far, so maybe it wasn’t hostile. At least he hoped so.

One could never be too careful though. That was why he had brought his spear. Its weight was slowly dragging him down, just as he had anticipated, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. In any case, it was way better than a spatula.

He didn’t swim towards the hull this time, but kept close to the rocks. Both of his hands were gripping the spear so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He didn’t have to wait long. Suddenly, a shadow emerged directly from under the Polar Tang’s hull. He kept his eyes on it without making a move. Something green was slowly moving with the current, almost like seaweed. Then he saw the eyes peeking out of it. He tensed, his heartbeat picking up speed, but kept still.

Her body was green and her hair a dark hue. She was staring at him with the curiosity of a frightened deer, keeping to the hull’s shadow. They were staring at each other for what seemed like minutes until Penguin ran out of air. His lungs began to burn. He had to come up again, so he moved.

In an instant, she had vanished. He was sure that he hadn’t taken his eyes off her, it was just as she had vanished into thin air.

Quickly, he propelled himself to the surface and got out of the water.

To his surprise, Law was standing at the edge. He didn’t seem happy. Even though to be honest, he didn’t look happy a lot of the time.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Law said no sooner than when he had left the water. He was breathing harshly. “Bepo said you saw something in the water. And your first instinct is to go back in there again? You could have been hurt!”

“It’s not like that.” Penguin walked past him and picked up the towel he had brought with him. “I’ve found out what it was. Or who-”

“How could you have been so stupid! At least take someone with you or take the shuttle!”

Penguin had been toweling off his hair, but halted now.

“You know, I have tried to tell you, but you haven’t answered the door.”

Law furrowed his brows.

“I haven’t heard anything.”

“I did knock, twice! How did you not hear that?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Law snapped. “Come with me. We have to talk.”

He didn’t even wait for Penguin to answer, but turned on his heel and marched back to the Polar Tang. For one crazy second Penguin contemplated not following him. If he wanted to talk to him not as his captain, but as his lover, Penguin had every right to refuse him. On the other hand, that wouldn’t solve anything at all.

He slipped into his jumpsuit and put his hat back on, then glanced over his shoulder at the water. There were no ripples disrupting the surface anymore, no dark shadow lurking anywhere in sight. Hastily, he followed his captain.

He caught up to him as he went through the hatch and easily fell into step with him. Law didn’t say anything to him and kept his gaze firmly locked forward. Penguin could understand that kind of behaviour as it was probably rooted in a deep need for privacy. His thoughts were whirling around - what would he say when they arrived? He couldn’t back down, but he also didn’t want to fight with him. On top of that, Law already was angry at him. And well, it had been a bit risky if he was honest with himself. He was pretty sure he hadn’t been in any danger the whole time, but that wasn’t something he could have known.

Finally, they arrived at Law’s quarters. Every move of Law was rigid and jerky and, as Penguin had entered, he closed the door a bit too abruptly. Then he turned to him.

“I’m sorry,” Penguin rushed to say before Law could accuse him again. “I know it could have been dangerous.”

“I’m glad you’re so perceptive.” Law took a step towards him, crowding him against the door. He had an expression like a storm cloud. Penguin blinked up at him. “Don’t ever do something like that again.”

“I won’t.”

Law sighed as if a weight had suddenly fallen off his shoulders. Penguin could feel the heat radiating from his skin, but maybe that was just because he was still slightly wet and shivering underneath his jumpsuit.

“Did you really knock?” Law asked.

“Yeah. You didn’t hear?”

Law shook his head. An almost uncomfortable silence followed. Law probably had been too absorbed in his stupid books to notice anything happening in the outside world.

“So, what did you see?” Law finally asked.

“I’m not sure what exactly I saw,” Penguin began, trying to put it into words. “I think it was a girl. A child.”

Law’s eyes narrowed.

“A child? In the water?”

“Yeah. But listen to this,” Penguin swallowed. Law was even closer than before now and it was hard to keep thinking, “when I moved, she suddenly disappeared.”

“You mean she swam away?”

“No.” Penguin had lifted his hand and began tracing Law’s arm. He probably shouldn’t do this until the three of them had found a solution for their relationship. “She disappeared right in front of my eyes. Like … she dissolved or something.”

It hadn’t been the first time he had seen her do that. He remembered now that he had seen a shadow swimming past him and vanishing as soon as he had turned around to it. That must have been her. He still had no idea how she did that - or what she was. She wasn’t a normal human being at any rate.

“And you are sure you didn’t imagine that?”

“Yes. I saw it. Two times.” Penguin slid his hand up to his neck. “Law-”

Law backed off. “Don’t.”

Penguin immediately withdrew his hand. “Are you angry?”

“I’m not. I’m just …” Law didn’t finish the sentence. He was gnawing on his lip.

“Can we - can we talk? Like you said?”

Law gave a jerky nod, but didn’t move otherwise. Well, they could just as well have this conversation while standing awkwardly at the door.

“What do you think about what Shachi said?” Straight towards the point; Penguin felt like knocking with a battering ram against Law’s mental walls. “Are you really against me, um, doing things with him while you’re not around?”

“It’s-” Law interrupted himself, then took a deep breath. “It’s not that easy.”

“What isn’t easy?” Penguin couldn’t stand Law slouching like that anymore. He grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie and gently pulled him towards him. Law could have resisted him if he wanted, but he didn’t, instead he leaned against Penguin and let out a shaky breath. “Come on. How long have we known each other? You can tell me.“

“I don’t know,” Law murmured against his neck. “Whenever I think of you and him, I feel … uneasy.”

He was jealous. Penguin was absolutely certain of that. Unfortunately, he also had no remedy for it.

Penguin asked, “Do you think I’ll leave you or something like that?” Law tensed. Penguin could have slapped himself; he really could have phrased that better. “I won’t, you know. I told you, I love both of you. It’s not a competition.”

Law mumbled something.

“What? Sorry, I didn’t catch that-”

“I said, could you show me again,” Law repeated. He still had his face buried against his neck, but Penguin could see that the tips of his ears had become red. He certainly hadn’t expected that.

“Can you promise me something first?” He pressed his nose into Law’s hair. It smelled faintly of coffee. “Apologize to Shachi. He’s feeling the same as you, but if we want this to work, we have to be better than that.”

He could hear Law grinding his teeth together. “I’m trying.”

“I know.”

Law swallowed. “I will speak with him. Tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah.”

That was good enough for him. Law wouldn’t back out on his words now. Penguin let his hands slide lower until they rested on the small of Law’s back. His jumpsuit was sticking to him, but he could bear the discomfort as long as he had Law this close to him. Law sighed and practically melted against him - these last few days had been tough on all of them and it had been a while since they had done anything like this. Penguin wanted to draw it out. He wanted to show him what he had missed out on.

With one hand, he tipped Law’s chin up so he would look him into the eyes. Law’s pupils were already dilated and Penguin held his gaze while he leaned forward. He kissed him gently, the first contact barely more than a brush of his lips. Law shuddered and closed his eyes.

He was glad that the door was in his back, that way he could lean against it and pull Law flush against his body, swallowing the ensuing gasp as he dipped his tongue inside his mouth. God, he had missed this. As prickly as Law often was, as responsive he was during moments like this. He tasted strongly of coffee and Penguin suspected that he had downed too much of the stuff lately.

He slid his hands beneath Law’s hoodie as he kissed down his jaw and then further down. Law craned his neck to give him more room, his hands twitching against Penguin’s sides.

“Come on,” Penguin whispered into his ear, nipping at them, “touch me.”

Law did, his fingers careful but quickly becoming bolder as he apparently got frustrated with the thick fabric of the jumpsuit. Penguin pulled the zipper down, then guided Law’s hands inside. From there, Law quickly grew in confidence, his hands roaming everywhere he could reach, over Penguin’s chest and down his sides, wrapping around him to press their bodies together and finally lower until they came to rest on his ass which actually made Penguin jump.

Hell, why not? Penguin mirrored him and grabbed his ass with both hands until he had him in the position he wanted to. The way the jeans hugged Law was great, although it definitely would be even better if he was naked. But in that second, Law shifted his hips and any thought was swept out of his brain. 

It really had been too long since they had done this, even though it couldn’t be more than a few days. Maybe all the stress and panic had decided to release itself this way. Penguin didn’t care about that, though. All he wanted to do was to show him how much he meant to him, to bring back that flush which he knew would spread down to his chest.

They were rubbing against each other like horny teenagers and Law was panting in his ear, trying to suppress any loud noises. That wouldn’t do. If they continued like this, it would be over far too soon.

With that thought, Penguin grabbed Law’s thighs and heaved him up.

“What-”

Law slung his arms around his neck to keep his balance. Penguin grinned. He didn’t know why, but he just loved to see his captain from this side. He marched to the bed, the sheets still rumpled as no one had bothered to make them, and gently laid him down. Law propped himself up on his elbows, watching him attentively as Penguin slid his jumpsuit over one shoulder. Law’s gaze on him made his stomach flutter. His tank top was slightly moist because he hadn’t dried himself off well enough, but he took his sweet time to get out of the jumpsuit and then knelt down on the bed. The mattress dipped beneath his weight.

“So, tell me Law,” Penguin said as he slowly approached him, “what should I do to you?”

If he hadn’t been so aroused, Law surely would have cut him into pieces, but as it was he only blushed further. He opened his mouth, but apparently couldn’t find any words.

“I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me,” Penguin spurned him on. He didn’t even feel embarrassed. When he was with Shachi, he usually let him lead, but with Law he liked to test his boundaries.

“Anything is fine,” Law finally croaked.

Oh, the things he could do with him with a statement like that. Penguin already knew a few things Law liked, but he also wanted to see if he could find something new. He crawled up to him and pushed his knees apart so he could slide between them. Law’s pupils dilated.

“Anything? Are you sure?”

Law searched his eyes.

“I trust you.”

Penguin smiled, then kissed his cheek.

After that, he helped Law out of his hoodie, then opened the button of his jeans and pulled them down. Law’s erection was straining against his underwear, a damp spot already showing how excited he was. Goosebumps were covering his body even though it was warm inside his room. Penguin palmed his cock and Law shuddered.

“Like that?”

“Don’t ask.” He sounded strained. Penguin brushed a hand over his thigh. Law’s breath hitched as he slipped a finger under the hem of his underwear and slowly pulled it down. He had probably never undressed him this fast. Penguin laid the shorts aside and took a moment to admire Law’s body, his olive skin a stark contrast against the white sheets. Penguin traced one of the paler patches with his finger. He knew where they came from now.

He leaned forward again, kissing him softly on the lips and Law sighed as he began to trace his mouth over his chin and down his neck. Pushing his legs up with both hands, Penguin kissed a trail down his chest and pressed a kiss against his stomach, just below his navel, excitement rising in him as he felt Law quiver. He would make him feel so good.

He didn’t waste any time to take Law’s cock into his hand again and Law hissed and raised his hips up to him, but Penguin pressed him down. Slowly, almost teasingly, he began to jerk him off. Law was making quiet sounds, his hands gripping the sheets. He would probably be able to finish him in minutes if he wanted to, but he had other plans in mind and so he gathered some of the pre-cum that had quelled out of Law’s cock, then slid his hand down. He did so slowly, so Law could tell him if he wanted him to stop.

Penguin bit his lips as he realized Law had no intention to do so.

Slowly, he slipped his forefinger between Law’s ass cheeks. As he touched his hole, Law’s breath hitched and his legs began to tremble.

“Are you okay?” Penguin asked, kissing one of his thighs.

“Yeah.” Law’s voice had that rough quality to it. It was apparent that he was nervous. It wouldn’t be the first time Penguin had touched him there, but this time, he wasn’t as far gone as he had been before.

Penguin took his cock into his hand and guided the tip into his mouth, then slowly began to circle his hole. He couldn’t wait to push his finger into him, but he wanted Law to feel more familiar with the sensation at first. Hell, he had been pretty weirded out himself when Shachi had done that to him for the first time.

Law was sweating. His legs trembled and Penguin stroked his thighs soothingly. His cock felt hot in his mouth, already tasting like salt. Law was breathing harshly as Penguin slowly dipped one finger inside and he jerked, a little sound escaping his lips. Gods, he was so tight. The thought that no one had ever done this to him was exhilarating, making him dizzy. 

“Are you okay?” Penguin asked, just to be on the safe side. Law didn’t answer immediately, but shifted his feet on the mattress.

“Feels weird,” he said finally.

Yeah, it did feel weird. When Shachi and him had gone all the way for the first time, he hadn’t been able to really enjoy it. Not because it had hurt - Shachi had been too careful for that - but because the feeling had been so weird and intrusive that he hadn’t been able to relax. He would do different with Law. Even if it took hours.

Not today, though. He didn’t want to scare him away. Therefore, he slipped his finger out of him and continued massaging his rim again, Law’s cock twitching and leaking in his mouth, and then slid it in again, this time a little deeper than before. His own cock was hard, but he ignored it for the moment. He could only hear a few muffled sounds from above and frowned as he looked up.

Law was biting down on the edge of the pillow, effectively stifling his moans. He blinked and looked down at Penguin, obviously confused as to why he stopped. Penguin pressed a hand against the side of his thighs.

“Come on, turn around.”

Law didn’t move immediately, so Penguin just manhandled him into the position he had in mind - which was on all fours and his ass up in the air. If Law hadn’t been aroused like that, he probably would have cut him into pieces for this. As it was, he quickly buried his red face in his pillow.

“This is degrading.” Law’s voice was muffled.

Penguin didn’t answer him. He just - gods, he didn’t know what he did to deserve this. Law shivered as Penguin laid his hands on his cheeks and slowly spread them apart. His hole was wet from his own precum. Slowly, so Law could pull away if he wanted to, he stroked a finger down between his cheeks and slipped it inside.

He wasn’t sure if Law would like this, but then Law actually pushed back against him, his finger sliding deeper with each motion. He held still, his eyes glued to the way Law pleasured himself on his finger, a few harsh moans still escaping from the pillow. Sweat had pooled in his lower back. Law’s legs were trembling and he jerked every time the finger pushed into him, like he wasn’t sure if that was what he wanted, if it would hurt or if it would set him ablaze.

Finally, Penguin laid his other hand on his ass and slid his finger deeper, all the way this time. Law pushed against him almost frantically; and dear god, if one finger could do that to him, what would it be like with more?

Finally, Law seemed to have reached his limit as he reached behind him and slapped Penguin’s hand away, then turned around on his back. His face was flushed and his pupils dilated, his hair wild as it spread out on his pillow.

“So,” Penguin licked his lips, “is still ‘anything’ fine? Or do you have a special wish this time?”

Law groaned.

“Don’t make me say it.”

Penguin leaned over him and kissed him, their mouths molding together until they both were gasping. Law’s eyes were half-closed.

“This,” he murmured. “Just - can you do this while …?”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but Penguin knew him well enough by now to know what he meant. Quickly, he got rid of his last remaining clothing and then settled on top of Law and pulled him into a kiss. Law didn’t hesitate, probably because it was familiar, his tongue already stroking against Penguin’s, little moans not quite escaping as Penguin swallowed them. Their dicks weren’t perfectly aligned, but that didn’t matter. Law tried to move against him, but Penguin was too heavy to allow for a lot of movement. He grinned into the kiss, his right hand sneaking around Law’s body and slipping inside him easily.

From there on, he kind of lost a bit of control. Law was too responsive, almost helplessly bucking against him while Penguin sucked on his tongue and pushed his finger deep into his ass. Law came apart beautifully. And Penguin just wanted more, more heat, more wetness, more of those little sounds that Law had been too embarrassed to show at first but now didn’t even care about. At one point, he slipped a second finger inside and Law came a few thrusts of them later, shivering and holding onto him, his breath coming in chopped gasps.

Penguin slid off him and threw one arm over his torso while he waited for Law to catch his breath. His cock was almost hurting now. After a few moments, Law glanced at him, his eyes still a bit glazed over.

“Do you,” he started with a rough voice and cleared his throat, “so, what should I do with you?”

Penguin’s eyes widened. Law being as forward as this was new. There were a lot of things that came to his mind, some innocent and some so vulgar he would surely scare him off if he voiced them. He didn’t want Law to be weirded out or, even worse, disgusted by him. Better safe than sorry then.

“You can choose. Is there anything you want to try?” When he and Shachi had begun their relationship, both of them had been too curious. Between the two of them, there had never been a moment of fear, never a moment where any of them hadn’t at least talked to the other about some kind of fantasy. What kind of stuff was Law imagining when he was thinking of him?

Law watched him, his eyes wandering over his naked body. He was still flushed, sweat dotting his skin, the remnants of his orgasm drying on his stomach. Penguin shifted uncomfortably. The sheets were already soaked with their sweat and other stuff he didn’t want to think about.

“I-” Law halted. He couldn’t quite look him into the eyes.

“Yeah? Don’t worry, you can tell me.”

Law was biting his lip, then murmured, “Fuck it.”

Shuffling down, he grabbed Penguin’s hips before Penguin even had a change to register what he was about to do. He quickly got the idea, though, as Law leaned down and hesitated just a few inches away from his still very hard erection. Penguin held his breath. 

Then suddenly, as if he didn’t want to lose his determination, Law leaned close and tentatively licked the head of his dick. Penguin couldn’t keep his eyes off him as he slowly slid the head into his mouth. He hoped he wouldn’t change his mind halfway through it. Law kept his eyes open as he slowly pushed deeper until he had about half of it inside his mouth. It felt incredible, wet heat enveloping him and Penguin’s hands twitched on the sheets.

Then, Law tried to take him even deeper and coughed. He pulled away, wiping his mouth.

“You okay?” Penguin reached out for him and touched his shoulder. Law nodded. “You don’t have to do this, you know.” Ah fuck, he should really slap himself. Why did he just say that? But Law had apparently not listened to him as he brought himself into an apparently more comfortable position, kneeling between his legs, and got back to it.

He was a quick learner. Soon, Penguin was breathing harshly as he watched his dick disappear into Law’s mouth again and again. He looked so good like this, his hair a wild mess from earlier, his cheeks flushed, still completely naked while his attention was completely on him.

Penguin reached out and put his hand on his shoulder, almost the same as he had done before, and slid it up to his neck. Law made a small noise in the back of his throat and Penguin slid his hand into his hair and applied the tiniest bit of pressure on it. He really wanted to make this last for longer, but then Law moaned, and he clearly liked Penguin holding him in place, and god, wasn’t that a fantastic thought, Penguin’s feet scraped over the sheets and his back arched as he came just a split second after he’d pulled Law off of him.

With a sigh, Penguin fell backwards into the pillows. Law sat down beside him, clearly trying not to get the sheets any dirtier than they already were. A lost cause, really. Penguin glanced up at him. Law’s mouth was a bit more red and fuller than usual. He grasped his neck and pulled him down into a kiss and just made out with him for a while, their tongues sliding together almost lazily until Law had climbed on top of him again and neither of them cared about any bed sheets anymore.

It was a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear your thoughts, especially regarding Law's behaviour. I'm reading all of your comments even though I'm often slow in answering them ...


	5. Chapter 5

With one of his hands inside the pocket of his jumpsuit, Penguin walked down to the water. A good deal of the crew was working outside while preparing food or materials for the repairment of the sub. They had sent some more explorers into the tunnels, but they had all returned with the same findings: The tunnels were all dead-ends, either ending abruptly or just narrowing until they were too small for any of them to fit through. Penguin had told Law about the underwater entrance they had to have come through as they had been sucked down by the vortex. The only other possible exit was the tunnel Penguin had been in himself. The problem was that it was caved in - neither of them had any idea if the tunnel continued after that or if it would be a dead-end just the same.

Law had ordered a few of the crew to clear the rubble. There wasn’t much else to do for the rest of the crew except for repairing the sub. Penguin had worked hard on the turbine. With the help of Bepo as well as Law’s powers, they had lifted the damaged turbine out of its position so they could work more easily on it. Unfortunately, the movement had revealed the extent of the damage, which was by far greater than they had thought. Not only had the turbine a huge rip in it, but one of the smaller pipes underneath it was damaged, too. The cables were a mess and Penguin could only hope that they had enough materials to replace them. That wasn’t his main concern, though.

The bottom of the submarine had been pushed in, as if some outer force had slammed against it. Penguin had no illusions regarding the fact that it had to be the massive weight of the water. He preferred not to think about how close to death they had been.

He couldn’t just hammer the dent down as the metal would be weakened there. And with no knowledge as to where they actually were, he couldn’t risk something like that.

He had told Law his findings, but had only received the order to continue.

Kicking a small rock away with his feet, he settled down near the water and bit into the sandwich he had brought with him. The strange green light of the crystals surrounding him were giving him a headache, but it was still better than working in the artificial light and the stuffy air inside the sub. Blocking out the sounds of his crewmates, he unpacked his meal and gazed down at the water. It was incredible how clear it was. From this point, it almost seemed as if he could stand in it without swimming, the bottom seemingly closer than it really was. 

He tried to see if the girl was there, too, but the water remained empty except for the yellow shell of the Polar Tang. He finished his sandwich with a few more bites, then slipped out of his jumpsuit and jumped into the water.

Silence engulfed him as he dove deeper and beneath the sub, head turning around to see as much as possible. He could count the stones on the ground, seaweed growing between them like a forest. How had the girl come here without any of them noticing? She couldn’t just - live here, right? She had to come up for air the same as he did. Maybe there was another exit which they hadn’t found yet?

After a few minutes, he came up for air again. He was pretty sure that she hadn’t been in the water with him as he hadn’t felt any eyes on him. Wherever she was now, it was not here.

As he swam to the edge, he noticed that Law was waiting for him. Again. Damn guy had a sixth sense for that apparently.

“What did I tell you?” Law said, tapping his foot on the ground, his arms crossed.

“To take someone with me,” Penguin muttered and wrung out his hair. He slicked it back and put his hat on. “It was a spur of the moment thing.”

Law narrowed his eyes.

“Anything else you want to say?”

Penguin carefully met his eyes.

“Um. Sorry?”

Law sighed and let his shoulders fall down.

“I’m not doing that to spite you. The situation we’re in is bad enough on its own and I can’t afford to lose my first officer.”

Penguin swallowed. That was as much as Law had acknowledged him as someone important - it wasn’t like he didn’t know it or that Law hadn’t shown him in other ways, but he had never talked to him about it. He knew it wasn’t about being first officer. Even if Law chose to mask his feelings with these words.

Words weren’t Law’s strong suit. Penguin knew that, but he had also learned that sometimes they needed to talk to each other to make their feelings clear. There was something he had chosen not to think about too much, but know he forced himself to ask them anyway.

“Did you know?” he said, body growing cold. He had to dry off properly soon. “When you rushed to the exit and opened the doors - did you know we weren’t underwater?”

Law didn’t answer immediately. Penguin watched him. The way his posture straightened, as if he wasn’t standing in front of his friend, his lover, but some kind of enemy. Penguin knew he didn’t mean to, but it hurt him all the same.

Then Law finally said, “It was a hunch.”

Penguin’s throat constricted, but he didn’t let a sound escape. He had known - there was no way Law could have known where they were, but still he had thrown himself into action. Maybe that was what this had been about. Waiting had been the most horrifying experience of Penguin’s life, so maybe Law had just wanted to _do_ something about it. Even if it could have meant their death.

He made a step forward and leaned his head against Law’s chest.

“We can’t afford to lose our captain either.” He couldn’t say the true words lying on his tongue. Even though he had already said them to Law. After a second, he could feel Law put a hand on his shoulder. He could really use a hug, but of course Law couldn’t do so in front of his crew.

In that moment, someone called for their captain and they hastily distanced themselves from each other. Penguin pulled his hat lower into his face.

“Captain!” Bepo came to a halt in front of them. He wheezed, “I’ve completed the scan! You know, like you ordered me to? I also hit my head, these tunnels are _not bear-friendly_ -”

“What did the scan say?” Law interrupted him.

“Oh - it seems like the tunnel is going further after the cave-in.” Bepo was rubbing his furry neck. He took another deep breath. “We still will need some time to clear it.”

“Can you tell how much of the tunnel is blocked?”

“I think it’s somewhere close to three meters. It will take forever to clear it!” Bepo exclaimed.

“Tell the ones who are working on it right now to take turns. I want the tunnel to be cleared as soon as possible. If there is an exit leading to the surface, we should find it asap.”

Bepo nodded, glanced at Penguin who was still dripping water everywhere and then quickly ran off to tell the team in the tunnels. Penguin let out a shaky breath.  
“Are you okay?” Law asked him.

“Yeah, just - that was close.” Maybe they shouldn’t nearly hug in front of half of their crew, but somehow Penguin couldn’t bring himself to say that.

“How far along are you with the repairments I ordered you to?” Law asked, suddenly changing the subject. Maybe that was for the better. Penguin let his shoulders sag.

“I can’t really do much more without the right materials. I have a few more cables to replace, but I can’t just fix the dent without something to strengthen the hull. Even if I finish the repairs on the turbine and we try to set off, we’d just risk a rip in the hull.”

Law eyed the sub. He appeared to be calculating if Penguin spoke the truth. The Polar Tang had survived many battles so far, but this wasn’t something they could outmaneuver with a few tricks. It wasn’t like Penguin wasn’t willing to take a risk, but it would be sheer madness to try something like that.

“So what do you suggest we do?” Law finally asked, turning around. Penguin sighed. He didn’t like what he was about to say.

“Find another exit and hope for the best.”

* * *

The evening came quicker than he had anticipated. Not that there were any natural signs of the night approaching as the lights of the crystals remained the same regardless of what time it was. The only way they could pinpoint the actual time was with the clock in the kitchen.

Penguin was so tired that he was swaying on his feet as he slowly approached his quarters. Shachi and him were still walking on eggshells around each other. He wasn’t sure if Law had talked to him yet as he had promised, but he intended to carefully ask Shachi about it. Hopefully, that would be the first step into the right direction.

But as he opened the door, he found their quarters empty. He shrugged - it was late, but Shachi could just be up playing cards with the guys in the common room or something like that. He’d just take a shower and then talk to him when he got back.

The water was a bit cold as he stepped beneath the shower. Penguin quickly scrubbed himself down and rinsed the oil out of his hair.

It was difficult not to think of their situation. The Polar Tang was useless at the moment and the only usable exit they knew of was caved in. Even if they cleared all the rubble in a few days, it could just be another dead-end. And what would they do in that case? He would have to repair the sub as well as he could with the few remaining materials and just hope for the best.

Hoping for the best was usually not the best approach when travelling with a submarine.

He shivered. He felt like someone was watching him, but of course that wasn’t possible. He was alone in the shower and no one had access to their rooms except for Shachi. Maybe the water had turned colder. They hadn’t a lot of energy left with only one of the turbines running anyway. He quickly got out of the shower and grabbed a towel.

When he came back into their room, he found Shachi sitting on his bed and changing out of his work clothes. He glanced up as he noticed Penguin coming in.

“Oh, hi.” He took a breath as if he wanted to say more, but then looked away. Penguin tried to play it cool as he quickly changed into some new clothes to sleep in. He felt strangely naked, even though Shachi had seen him like this many times.

What should he say to him? Apologize again? It wouldn’t change any of their problems, as both of them knew well. Try to talk about anything else, maybe how his day was or what he had been doing or if he wanted to play a game? Too transparent, Shachi would look through him in an instant and he really didn’t want him to look at him like that again.

Therefore, he decided to stay quiet as he slipped on his shirt and then sat down on his bed, opposite of Shachi. He began to towel of his hair. Even though it was nearly dry by now anyway.

He could hear Shachi make a noise and then mutter, “This is stupid.”

Penguin looked up. Shachi was staring at him hard. His face was a bit flushed, as if he had just run here.

“What.”

Shachi didn’t immediately answer.

“You know, I ran into Law on the way here,” he finally said and put on a new shirt.

Penguin’s eyes widened. Had Law apologized to him as he had promised? Penguin prodded, “What did he want?”

“He wanted to know how the repairs where going,” Shachi said and Penguin let his shoulders sag. Why hadn’t Law- “And he apologized.” Shachi held his gaze. “At least I think he did.”

“What did he say?”

“Just, well - he said to forget about the rule.” Shachi shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly, I didn’t even know what he meant at first. It’s just like him to say it like that.”

Penguin watched him, the towel slowly sliding of his head.

“And? You don’t seem happy about it.”

“That’s not …” Shachi took a deep breath. He was fidgeting, Penguin noticed only now.

“Shachi. What’s wrong? Has he said anything else to you?” Gods, he hoped Law hadn’t been an ass to him.

“He didn’t say anything, it’s more about what he _did_ ,” Shachi said. “He, um, he kissed me.”

“He- What?”

“I don’t know either!” Shachi exclaimed. The color on his face matched his hair and with a start, Penguin realized why. “I mean, we’ve kissed before, right? But only, you know, when the three of us were making out. Like a heat in the moment thing. But not …” He trailed off and put his fist against his mouth, staring at the sheets in bewilderment.

Penguin got up, walked over to the other bed and plopped down next to him. Neither of them said anything for a while.

“Why do you think he did it?” he finally asked.

“Hell if I know.” Shachi flung himself backwards on the bed.

“Well, did you like it?”

“Honestly? Yeah. I did.” He breathed a sigh. “Fuck.”

“But isn’t that a good thing?”

“You mean you’re not jealous or anything? Was that really an okay thing to do?”

“Of course!” Penguin didn’t even have to think about it - the thought of Shachi and Law kissing didn’t even leave a sting. The only thing he regretted was not being there to witness it. Not out of a sense of control, but rather because he couldn’t imagine it as vivid as he liked to.

He laid down next to Shachi, carefully watching him. The redness was slowly leaving Shachi’s face. He seemed more comfortable somehow. They hadn’t properly talked in days, but now, in the quiet of their own quarters, Penguin took his time to reacquaint himself with all the small details of his lover.

He rolled on his stomach, his elbow brushing against Shachi’s naked arm.

“So, how was it?” He grinned down at him. Shachi glanced up at him, eyes widening in disbelief - and then suddenly, he grinned back.

“You’re really asking that? Ya pervert!”

“Hello - I just wanna know all the details about my boyfriend making out with my other boyfriend,” Penguin said with his nose upturned, then snorted because of the ridiculousness of it all.

“Well, it was hot,” Shachi said proudly, finally relaxing into the mattress. Penguin took a chance and crawled closer, tentatively putting an arm over Shachi’s stomach. He felt warm.

“You have to tell me more than that.”

“Hm. He was kinda cute at first, you know? Like, he only wanted to give me a peck, but when I kissed him back … he got all hot and bothered. I pressed him against the wall and well, we made out for a while. It was great.” He grinned, the flush returning to his cheeks.

“Wait - you weren’t in his room?”

“Nah, we did it in the hallway.”

Penguin snorted a laugh. “Seems like you really got him wrapped around your finger.”

“You can say that.”

“So … do you love him?” Penguin asked and immediately regretted it. He didn’t know what he wanted Shachi to answer.

“It’s not like that, I think.” Shachi nuzzled his nose in Penguin’s hair. “I like him. Well, at least when he’s not busy being an asshole.”

“Shachi!”

“Well, it’s true, isn’t it? But anyway, it’s not the same I feel for you. It couldn’t ever be.” Penguin felt heat surge through him. How was Shachi able to put his feelings into words just like that? “But I respect him. And most importantly, he makes you happy. That’s all I want.”

They fell into silence again. Penguin had buried his head into the sheets, basking in the warmth radiating from Shachi. Part of him couldn’t believe that Law had done as promised and actually apologized to Shachi. And not only that, he seemed to have forfeited the rule about him and Shachi doing anything while he wasn’t present. Could this day get any better?

Penguin bit his lip.

“Hey Shachi.” He trailed his hand over Shachi’s stomach. “Want to show me how exactly you kissed him?”

* * *

If they hadn’t been in this desperate situation, Penguin could almost have said he was happy. He had woken up with Shachi slung tightly around him and, as he had unsuccessfully tried to get up without waking him, a good morning cuddle. The repairs were wearing on, but at least the clearance of the tunnel was progressing faster than anticipated.

He didn’t dare to slip into the water again. Law was right; it was too dangerous. But nevertheless, he found himself drawn to it. The surface was almost perfectly still, the crystal’s lights reflecting on its quiet surface. It was still early and most of the crew was either asleep or in the kitchen getting breakfast. He preferred to go outside to escape the stifling air in the sub. Later, when Shachi had woken up properly, the two of them would visit Law, bring him some coffee, and talk. Law would probably feel a bit ambushed by that, but if Penguin had learned one thing in this relationship so far, it was that talking usually helped.

He settled down near the water. If only it wasn’t salty! They had their provisions of course, but the longer they stayed down here, the more pressing would be the issue of finding fresh water.

Disgruntled, he picked up a small pebble and flicked it over the water. It bounced off the water, two, three, then four times until it was swallowed by the water.  
If they knew more about their location, maybe Law could have brought them out of here with his devil’s fruit power. But as it was, they knew nothing about how much stone was above them or how deep the cave went. And that didn’t even scratch the subject of Law seriously depleting his powers if he did a stunt like that. He searched for another pebble. Maybe he could make it bounce five times - he used to be pretty good at it when he had been younger.

When he glanced up, he looked directly into the eyes of a little child.

He gasped, quickly scrambling back, his palm getting scratched up on the craggy stone. The child recoiled and splashed back into the water.

What the hell. His heart was beating hard as if it wanted to jump out of his chest. His palm throbbed and he held it in front of his face. The skin was dotted with blood and dirt. He glimpsed at the water, then shook his hand to get some of the dirt out of his wound. Fuck, that was his dominant hand, too.

There was a shadow beneath the water. Now that he knew were to look, it was obvious what to look out for. He waited without moving and held his breath.

After a few more seconds had passed, a head broke the water surface. The child watched him, most of its bottle green face still underwater. Its hair was dark blue and formed curls on the surface.

Even though he had seen her before, it just didn’t make sense. Where had she come from? And where did she disappear to? She couldn’t just stay in the water the whole time and he had no idea how she possibly could have sneaked past their crew without any of them noticing.

Slowly, Penguin leaned forward. The child watched him, only her eyes moving, as Penguin slid a hand into his pocket and pulled his half-finished sandwich out of it. Carefully, he laid it on the ground before him, just a hand’s width away from the shore, then stepped back.

The kid didn’t move.

“It’s for you,” Penguin said. He nodded at the sandwich. “Are you hungry? You can have it if you want.”

Did she even understand him? Most people in the New World spoke the same language, but sometimes they didn’t. He made another step back. It was a girl, he noticed, with round eyes and an expression on her face that spoke both to curiosity and cautiousness. Maybe she was still afraid.

Slowly, she was getting closer, her eyes flitting between him and the offered food. She had to be a good swimmer, gliding as smoothly through the water as she did, barely any movement noticeable from his position.

As she had nearly reached the shore, she suddenly dashed forward and water splashed into his face. He sputtered and wiped it off, then blinked.

The sandwich was gone.

So was she.

* * *

He needed an embarrassingly long time to finally catch up.

During the next two days, the crew had cleared the rest of the rubble blocking the passage. Law had sent some scouts to explore the cave system behind it and then kept brooding over those books again and even though both Penguin and Shachi had tried to get him away from them, they didn’t quite succeed. All they could do was to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t work himself into exhaustion. They hadn’t quite found the time to talk about the details of their relationship yet, but Penguin still felt like a weight was lifted off his chest. Shachi and he had spent the last two nights sleeping in the same bed, their touch light and innocent as if they were just exploring each other for the first time. 

In the evening, he spent time in the kitchen to prepare one more sandwich than usual and then went back to the shore. Their food was slowly dwindling away, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that what he was doing would help them in the long run. He had evaded Shachi, well aware that he wouldn’t condone his doings. Maybe it was stupid of him to feed a stranger when they didn’t know how long they had to get by with their supplies, but what did one more mouth to feed matter anyway? In the long run, they’d all be screwed if they didn’t find a way out of here.

And he just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this child.

Finally, as he settled down on the ledge with the extra sandwich in hand, it dawned on him.

The color of her skin and her hair had struck him as odd, but he had seen it before. He just hadn’t made the connection yet. Before the war on Wa Nu Kuni, even before Zou, they had travelled through an island inhabited by merpeople. Why hadn’t he thought of this before?

Her bottle green skin, her ink-like hair, the ability to stay underwater for so long - she had to be one of them. Although he still had no idea how she got there and why she seemed so curious about their crew. But her being there had to mean they couldn't be too deep below the surface, right? How deep could merpeople dive anyway? Air wasn’t an issue, but surely the pressure of the deep sea had to be a problem at some point.

He could ask her. When they met again, he could ask if she knew a way out of here.

The thought brought out a smile on his face. Who knew if they would have had this chance if he hadn’t pursued his own curiosity. He didn’t put much hope in the scouts; the cave system could be endless for all they knew and they had no point of reference where to go.

The water was still and dark in front of him. It seemed almost like a portal into another world, the blackish mass swallowing him whole if he got too close to it. A shudder overran him. What was it like to be a fishman, anyway? It had to be a bit like flying, being able to move through water freely and without fear of suffocating. But then the books had held this horrifying story - at the end, everyone was buried the same way.

It was different now. Most fishmen chose to live among themselves, but their crew had been able to walk and talk freely with them. Something like this would never happen again.

“Where are you?” he muttered at the water. The sandwich felt soggy in his hand.

He stayed at the shore for a while longer, but finally gave up. Maybe she had gotten scared of him, maybe she simply had something better to do than waiting for him to show up. He would put the spare sandwich in the fridge. Maybe Bepo would take it later.

On his way back, he bumped into Shachi.

“Hey, where did you come from?” Shachi said while righting his hat. Penguin glanced to the side. Shachi narrowed his eyes. “Okay, you know what? That is some suspicious behaviour when I see it. What did you do?”

“Nothing! Really.” Penguin held his hands up. “I was just going to Law. Wanna come with me?”

“Will you tell me why you behaved so guiltily then?”

Penguin contemplated not telling him, just for a second, but in the end folded.

“Actually - yeah, I do.”

Law was surprisingly not working on the books as they entered his cabin. Instead, he was lazing on his bed, one arm thrown over his face.

“What is this? No coffee, no books? And you lying in bed like you’re actually trying to get some shut-eye? Are my eyes deceiving me?” Shachi threw himself next to Law on the bed, making it wobble. Law lifted his arm and glared at him.

“I was trying to _think_.”

“Oh? Whatcha thinking about?”

“Not any of your business.”

The books were still lying open on the table. Penguin was kind of glad not to see any coffee around as he knew how jittery it made Law if he drank too much of it. Maybe things were slowly becoming better. It was weird to think that in their otherwise dire situation, but well, he had to keep his optimism, right?

Shachi watched him, one eyebrow drawn up as he clearly waited for him to continue their conversation from earlier. Penguin sat down on the bed.

“So, I haven’t gone into the water,” he began. Law frowned.

“What did you do?”

“I went to the shore to see if I’d see the girl again. I didn’t, by the way,” he added, “but I think I figured something out. I think, well, that she’s a mermaid.”

Both of them stared at him. Law was the first to speak.

“So?”

“So maybe she knows a way out! I tried to win her trust, but she wouldn’t appear.”

“You shouldn’t get too close to her. And you should especially not go into the water anymore. The hull is repaired as far you’re able to, right? So you have no reason to go down there anymore.”

“But-”

“ _I_ will go there and speak to her if she reappears.”

“She’s shy! You’d scare her!”

“This isn’t up for debate. You shouldn't put yourself in danger.”

“But-”

“Law’s right,” Shachi interrupted him with a hand on his arm. “Please don’t do stuff like this alone anymore. What would we do without you?”

Penguin cast his gaze down.

“Fine,” he grumbled. He wasn’t satisfied.

* * *

The following day, the scouts still hadn’t come back. There was also no sign of the mermaid as Penguin didn’t dare to go near the water again.

In the evening, Law declared the scouts as missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't let them be sad for too long ... :P  
> But what happened to the scouts ...?


End file.
